GO TV ads spur ''quagmire'' of troubles" for opposition

The political ads of the Genuine Opposition (GO) have failed to revive the coalition''s listless senatorial campaign but instead plunged the coalition into a "quagmire of troubles," Team Unity deputy spokesperson Tonypet Albano yesterday said.

Albano said that three of the four political ads of GO ads had been initially rejected by the ABS-CBN network because of their libelous content and all three had been redone before the network agreed to air them.

GMA, the other big network, accepted one and asked for the heavy editing of the three others before it agreed to air them, Albano added.

Worse, Albano said, the ads have come under heavy criticism from leading GO candidates who did not mince words in criticizing the content and story board of the political ads.

According to media reports, GO candidate Panfilo Lacson damned the content of the ads and publicly aired his disgust over the failure of the campaign leadership to consult with the candidates on the ads.

Lacson reportedly said that he does not like the content and storyline of the ads, which did not stress on the candidates but on the alleged failure of President Arroyo''s government. Lacson added that the money spent for the ads should instead been given to the candidates so they could have done their own ads.

Albano said that the lame excuse from the GO camp on the supposed pressure from Malacanang not to air the ads "is a standard GO answer is definitely a lie perpetuated by the opposition."

"There was no pressure from Malacañang. President Arroyo does not stoop down to the level of interfering in the internal affairs of the networks. The GO, as usual, has found a convenient scapegoat," he said.

"President Arroyo is pre-occupied with the important affairs of the country and the health of her husband. She will not get involved in the petty intramurals within the GO," he said.

Albano said the GO cannot just face the tough reality that the GO ads "were done in bad taste, were libelous, and offended basic civility."

He said "We still live in a civil society despite the disruptive and menacing presence of the GO and the kind of politics they want to impose on the nation. This is why we are clamoring for the public to denounce the destructive politics of the opposition and vote for the Team Unity candidates who will assure the public of continuous economic growth and prosperity." (PR)