Comelec sets airtime limits for political ads

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set airtime limits for the television and radio advertisements of candidates in the May 9 local and national elections.

Based on the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the Fair Elections Act released by the Comelec, national candidates and registered political parties can have 120 minutes of television advertisement and 180 minutes of radio advertisement "on a per originating station basis."

Candidates in the local elections, meanwhile, are given 60 minutes of television advertisement and 90 minutes of radio advertisement "on a per originating station basis."

Comelec Commissioner Christian Robert Lim said he is not in favor of some provision of the Fair Elections Act's IRR, including the longer airtime for political advertisements.

Lim said that instead of "on a per originating station," the candidates' political advertisements should be limited on a "total aggregate basis."

The Comelec official said that the provision is the poll body's "implicit approval" for the candidates to exceed the expenditure limits set by the same law.

Aside from the airtime limits, the IRR also allows candidates for president and vice president to spend P10 per voter while candidates running for other positions, from senator to councilor, are allowed to spend P3 per voter. —ALG, GMA News