Candidates' TV, radio guestings do not need Comelec approval — Brillantes

Television and radio networks need not ask for permission from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to interview candidates for the May midterm elections, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Tuesday. What the networks need to submit to the Comelec is a notice of interview, Brillantes said, so that they could monitor the interview and determine if it is campaigning or not. He said they would issue a resolution clarifying the “prior consent” clause of Resolution No. 9615, which states that media networks need to secure a “prior approval of the Commission” before interviewing candidates, and to afford all candidates “equal opportunities to promote their candidacy.” “More or less, ang consensus namin is [that] prior consent should not be interpreted as an express consent coming from the Commission. It is just parang prior notice lang, that they’re going to interview all of this,” Brillantes said. “Consent can be misinterpreted as hindi kayo pwedeng mag-interview kung wala kaming permiso. That will not be the intention,” he added. Under the same resolution, Comelec will not consider as broadcast election propaganda the guesting of a candidate on television or radio “if the appearance of the candidate is incidental to the presentation of the subject or subjects covered by the news documentary, or on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news events.” “We cannot regulate the interview. But we just have to monitor the interview and check if it would fall under campaign propaganda or a legitimate interview on issues for a legitimate use. Kaya prior notice lang,” the poll chief said. The Comelec will monitor campaign expenses and contributions of candidates only during the campaign period. Premature campaigning will not be accounted for in the total expenditures. According to Comelec Resolution No. 9476, president and vice president candidates are required to spend P10 for every registered voter, candidates with political parties to spend P3 each voter, and independent candidates with P5 per voter. Meanwhile, according to the Fair Elections Act, each candidate and political party are allowed 120 minutes of television and 180 minutes of radio advertisements. Local candidates are only allowed 60 minutes on television and 90 minutes on radio. Comelec through Resolution No. 9615 will require TV and radio air time to be accounted in aggregate and no longer on a per station basis. Before, candidates were allotted the prescribed airtime for each local, national and regional stations. Pamphlets, leaflets, cards, and other printed materials must not exceed eight and one half inches in width and 14 inches in length, according to the Fair Elections Act. Cloth, paper or cardboard posters must not exceed two feet by three feet. Print advertisements, meanwhile, must only be within one-fourth of a page in broadsheets and one-half in tabloids, thrice a week per publication. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/KBK, GMA News