Poll commission ruling sought on premature campaign for 2010 elections


MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) was asked Wednesday to issue a resolution on premature campaigning with the proliferation of product endorsements by possible candidates in the 2010 presidential elections.

In her letter to the commission Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, an administration ally, requested former Supreme Court justice and now Comelec Chairman Jose Armando R. Melo to issue a ruling based on Batas Pambansa 881, or the Omnibus Election Code of 1985, which prohibited campaigning except during the election period.

"I hope that Comelec will duly consider my request so that they can define the crime of premature campaigning. I hope that with the Comelec resolution, all candidates will draw the line," she told reporters.

Ms. Santiago scored colleagues endorsing products and appearing in television programs.

Both product endorsers, Senate President Manuel B. Villar, Jr. and Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said engaging in endorsements is part of their individual rights.

Mr. Villar said there is nothing wrong with his TV commercial that seeks the protection of overseas workers. "I don’t see that I am affected by that."

Senator Manuel A. Roxas II has said his detergent soap TV commercial is his "advocacy" for consumer protection.

However, Senator Loren B. Legarda, also a product endorser, said she favored Ms. Santiago’s concern and that the Comelec should be allowed to "clarify provisions of the law."

She said that while she was tapped by private firms, what should be reviewed are endorsement that use public funds, referring to the housing advertisement of Vice-President Manuel L. de Castro and the tarpaulins of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani F. Fernando on posts in major thoroughfares.

Ms. Santiago said there are no exceptions under the law and that she was not singling out anybody.

"Several candidates in the 2010 elections are already campaigning in the guise of commercial advertising, particularly on television. They are trying to present reality in a distorted way," she said. "This is a very false and mentally dishonest argument."

Ms. Santiago added, "the law says any indirect form of campaigning is prohibited We are lawmakers and we violate the law." — Bernard U. Allauigan, BusinessWorld

source: GMANews.TV
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napapansin ko rin 'tong mga 'to. si Ping may malaking billboard sa Edsa para sa ineenorse nyang skin care product for men. si BF nagkalat din ang mga tarpaulin sa kahabaan ng Edsa. sila Legarda, Villar, Roxas, Escudero at iba pa, may mga tv commercials naman. mukha ngang advance campaigning ito. aminin man nila o hindi, yun ang motibo nila - ang maging visible sa masa.

ano sa palagay nyo?
sang-ayon ba kayo dito?
dapat bang ipatigil ang ganitong mga ads 'til dumating ang official campaign period?
are you buying their alibi on these product endorsements and tv ads?

share your thoughts and opinion on this matter.

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daming naglipanan na ngayo nlalo na yung kakandidato sa pagka presidente

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pakialam mo

That's the first thing that came to my mind after seeing Manny Villar's commercial about the OFW's. Indirect campaign. How come these ads only appear at these times when the elections are nearing?

I'm also wondering, what's Prospero Pichay doing right now? After spending millions in his last campaign, he should've been totally broke.

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Whatever floats your boat.

i dont see anything wrong with it aside from the fact that they only air these "endorsements" only when there's hype about the elections. mautak ang timing nila ha...

as a public figure, they are highly qualified as endorsers. but one can't really help but think na may double purpose yung ads di ba? lalo na dito sa 'pinas. we all know how dirty our politics can be.

simply put: it's "hitting two birds with one stone" i think.

pero medyo agree ako kay ping lacson when he mentioned in an interview his defense regarding endorsements/ads. sabi niya may tatlong klase daw yan:
- a company pursues you and pays you a fee
- you pursue people and spend your own money
- you pursue people and spend the government's money

my impression:
dapat daw ang tinitira nila eh yung mga number 2-3 kasi sumobrang early campaiging ang ginagawa nila

for me, basta walang national issues tackled, i guess it's okay since it's simply a clean endorsement. advantageous nga lang for them 'coz they get extra exposure. yung advocacy thingy ni manny villar, maganda rin sana coz it raises awareness. pero kaduda-duda lang talaga kasi eh...

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agree talaga ako sa sinabi ni sen. santiago... totoo nga na ang ating mga senador has this lone purpose: to serve the people by occupying the legislative body, thus they are our lawmakers... kaya nga willing silang tumakbo as senators dahil willing din sila na isakripisyo ang kanilang oras at panahon upang paglingkuran tayo... kung pa-endorse endorse sila sa mga tv ads at mga naglalakihang tarps na iyan, well, it destroys the purpose of being a public servant... mas nagiging public icon sila...

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well on the contrary - part of being a public official is being visible always to the public... i just hope that they show their true colors and not the personality that are masked by these advertisements..

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madiskarte talaga ang mga pulitiko, 2 years pa, nangangampanya na...

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Finally, I'm NOT a LEGEND, salamat sa mga MODSSS
10 DAYS TO GO BEFORE CHRISTMAS

wala akong nakikitang masama doon...not unless pera ng bayan ang ginagamit nila ( which is more or less totoo )....
ang product nila is yung sarili nila eh...so kelangan ma benta nila yung sarili nila sa tao...yun lang yun eh...pero yung umasa tayo na gaganda ang buhay natin dahil sa kanila...tsk tsk tsk...walang himala...i gave up my faith on Philippine Government Years ago...sayang lang oras ko sa mga yan...and besides...kung ako malagay sa position nila, baka ganun din gawin ko...mas malala pa siguro...

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Slipery when wet

@ricekiller
are you talking about VP De Castro's ad which, by the way, what Sen. Legarda has been hitting on in her interviews? parang wala rin naman kasing pinagkaiba yung commercial ni Villar at ni Kabayan kung yung context ang titignan. si Villar, pagtulong sa mga OFWs, si Noli pabahay naman sa mahihirap. yun nga lang, yung kay Noli pondo ng gobyerno ang ginamit. and we all know that Noli is one of the front runners in the 2010 Presidential elections.

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mayaman na marami pang yumayaman siguro gagamitin pangangapanya

There's a fine line between political campaign and product endorsement. Hypocrisy.

Ping Lacson - derma model na pala maski kurakuratong ang mukha
Manny Villar - concerned sa OFW pati cell nya binigay
VP De Castro - may pabahay siya dapat lang trabaho niya yan
Loren Legarda - nagpapaputi sa Lucida, whitewash siguro
Bayani Fernando - Metro Gwapo, seryoso, pero ang graphs di ko maintindhan

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Exchange Gifts

dapat talaga e pinagbabawal ang mga pulitiko na maglabas ng mga advertisement, ke may election o wala. ang purpose nila e ang pagsilbihan ang mga taong bumoto sa kanila.. ok lang sana kung nagagawa nila ang kanilang pangunahing trabaho e, kaso hindi. let us (by us, i mean the voters) know the politicians who would be running based on the merits or based on the work they have done for our country not by popularity. di na kailangan ang advertisement para makilala sila kung may nagagawa naman silang mabuti sa bayan at for sure mas mapapansin natin ang mga nagawa nilang mabuti para sa bayan kesa sa mga billboard nila na nagkalat sa edsa.

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http://owsdingataoka.blogspot.com/

nagpapapogi na sila eh matatalino na ang mga botante ngayon
dapat pagsabihan din ang mga advertisers dahil sila ang kumuha ng mga endorsers and since malapit na election sinasabayan nila ito,go with the flow ika nga...makabenta lang

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kung lahat tayo ay galing sa unggoy,bakit mukha kang kabayo?

hahay,, ilan na lang talaga ang mapili sa mga politikong yan, o mayron pa ba kaya?, puro sinungaling, sasabihin na di pangangampanya pero un din nman ang motibo pang 2010.. Boykot na lang ako pagdating nga araw na yan.... tutal ala pa akong miss magboto, so ngaun 2010 na cguro.

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@Pareng Wenong:

Tama ka jan pre.. Yung ginagamit na pera ni Noli eh galing sa Gobyerno; pero si Villar sariling gastos nya yung pagtulong nya...
Pero pag pinasok mo kasi ang pulitika normally kapag tumutulong ka sa kapwa tao, ang naiisip agad is for political reasons or campaign... di na mawawala yan.. Di gaya ng kung wala ka sa pulitika, dun lang nila makikita na kawang gawa lang ang intentions mo... that's one of the risks of being in the political soceity..

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Pirates Assult / GodQuest