“Don’t take down the Sara posters.”

Former Cabinet secretary and Bohol gubernatorial candidate Leoncio Evasco Jr. issued this challenge to his opponent Deputy Speaker Arthur Yap in relation to the posters of presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio endorsing the congressman ahead of her reported return to Bohol on Tuesday.

The posters, which were posted all over Bohol, showed Duterte-Carpio raising a hand of Yap.

The posters were put up barely two weeks after the Davao mayor openly endorsed Evasco and his running mate Tommy Abapo during a major rally of the Duterte-Carpio-led Hugpong Ng Pagbabago (HNP) in Tagbilaran City.

The HnP rally, which was organized by Alyansa sa mga Bol-anon alang sa Kausaban (ABAKA), pushed for the senatorial candidates endorsed by the pro-administration party.

The presidential daughter, however, has clarified in a video message that she is supporting Evasco shortly after Yap put up the questioned posters.

For Evasco, the posters are meant to confuse and mislead Bol-anon voters.

“Maingon nato nga kawat ang gibuhat ni Yap. Wa siya mananghid kang Mayor Inday Sara,” Evasco said.

Yap’s camp, however, has issued a statement indicating that they have the permission of Duterte-Carpio to use the pictures in his campaign posters.

Yap had reportedly used two photos for his campaign materials—one was taken during a celebration of the third district representative’s birthday on November 10 last year, and the second was during a private dinner on February 26, 2019.