The Philippine Star
Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Robert Nacianceno said Tuesday that government funds were not used to print the "Bayani (Hero)" stickers that can now be seen displayed on buses plying EDSA and other major roads.
In an interview with The Star, he admitted that some of the stickers did come from Chairman Bayani Fernando while some were probably printed and distributed by "friends."
"All materials that are official and paid for by MMDA says so," he explained, believing it is up to the public to interpret the word.
"The word is generic that some people think it’s the chairman while some think hero," Nacianceno said of the stickers that simply bear the word "Bayani" alongside a Philippine flag.
Star sources said "Bayani" stickers started coming out around June 12. Some did not notice the stickers until last Monday because of former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino’s death anniversary, and next week’s observance of National Heroes Day.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has reacted negatively to the proliferation of the stickers but said they cannot look into the issue unless a complaint is filed.
The stickers are being criticized mainly because Fernando has openly declared his intention to run for president in 2010. His posters and tarpaulins that advocate "kaayusan" or "order" can be seen in other parts of the country that he visited during the past seven months.
Fernando, however, said there is no such thing as early campaigning and insisted he is merely promoting a personal advocacy.