JC wants free campaign ads

MANILA, Philippines - With less than a month left before the elections, the Ang Kapatiran Party sought relief from the Supreme Court (SC) to order the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to implement a provision of a law that would provide free campaign exposure for national candidates.

Ang Kapatiran, through party official Norman Cabrera and counsel Jose Jose, filed a petition before the SC seeking to order the Comelec to implement Section 7 of the Fair Election Practices Act (Republic Act 9006) and subsidize the campaign of national candidates in the media.

Ang Kapatiran said the provision of the law, which is also provided under Comelec Resolution No. 8758, has been neglected.

“This requirement was intended to give candidates equal opportunities under equal circumstances to make known their qualifications and stand on public issues and promote the holding of free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections through fair election practices,” the party said.

Ang Kapatiran argued Comelec has deprived them of the right to be given equal opportunity to campaign in the national media for free.

Ang Kapatiran said the law mandated Comelec to procure free airtime from at least three national television networks and three national radio networks, which shall be allocated free of charge equally among all the candidates running for national office.

The law also required Comelec to procure print space in at least one newspaper and require television and radio networks to sponsor at least three national debates among candidates for “public information dissemination on election-related concerns,” Ang Kapatiran pointed out.

The party said Comelec should procure airtime to interview candidates on their platforms of government.            – With Perseus Echeminada