Walking political ads a common sight all over PH

THE HUNDREDS of thousands of barangay tanods, tricycle drivers and street sweepers all over the Philippines are being exploited by politicians as walking advertisements. Uniforms bearing a politico’s name, coupled with his/her personal political slogans, are used to commit this crime in violation of the human rights of these clueless citizens. Adding insult to injury is the prohibition in the barangay budget to use funds (from the allocation for “supplies”) for proper tanod uniforms, which are supposed to display only the names of the barangay and the tanod, for proper identification. I once attended a funeral for a former barangay official wherein the tanods were tasked to provide “military” honors. The tanods were in uniforms with a resident politico’s name emblazoned at the back, and his face on the breast pockets. To all appearances, the tanods were the private army of the politico and not the employees of the barangay which is supported by the people’s taxes! I urge the Department of the Interior and Local Government to issue a directive prohibiting barangays from accepting donations of uniforms bearing the name of the donor, and permitting the barangays to purchase uniforms under “supplies” in their budget. This will help in stamping out corruption at the barangays. —MARIA ANDREA S. MENDIGO, Ang Kapatiran Party, masm912@yahoo.com