Palace: Equal air time for all

Malacañang gave asssurance yesterday that the five other presidential candidates will be given equal air time on all state-run media facilities, including Radyo ng Bayan, and Channels 4, 9 and 13.

Apart from President Arroyo, the five other presidential candidates are Fernando Poe Jr., Raul Roco, Panfilo Lacson, Eddie Villanueva and Eddie Gil.

"We have laws governing the broadcast," said Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye.

"So all these laws and regulations will be observed. The laws are explicitly clear. the general principle is more or less equitable sharing of time or availability or equal access to various media outlets," he said.

Bunye said there are specific time allocations for television and radio, as well as different limitations on print advertisements for all candidates.

"What is controlling in the airing of these ads, you have to observe, like maximum time allocation as provided for by law," he added.

Chairman Benjamin Abalos of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said they are bent on implementing laws banning illegal campaign materials.

"You will be surprised some leaves are made of paper," he said. "For the first time, I want our main thoroughfares with no election materials. I want sanity in this campaign."

Abalos said the law limits campaign posters in "common poster areas" — usually in densely populated places — to be designated by election officers.

"We do not want to be challenged by these groups (political parties)," he said.

"I have alerted our deputized law enforcers to arrest these people placing campaign materials outside common poster areas on the spot, and remove the materials."

Private individuals could make arrests, but they are advised to just take pictures of the illegal campaign posters, he added.

As a rule, only 2 x 3 feet posters are allowed, while streamers with a maximum size of 8 x 3 feet are permitted at the headquarters of political parties, the homes of candidates, and at political rallies.

For mass media advertisements, the Comelec allows each candidate an aggregate of 120 minutes of airtime for television, and 180 minutes for radio.

For print advertisements, it should be no more than 1/4 page for broadsheets and 1/2 page for tabloids, and not more than three times a week. — Marichu Villenueva, Jose Aravilla, Katherine Adraneda