Trillanes defends anti-Duterte ad featuring kids

MANILA, Philippines - Saying “the truth definitely hurts,” Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV yesterday defended a television ad he funded showing children reacting to video clips of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte cussing and mouthing expletives and kissing women.

In a statement, Trillanes said supporters of Duterte were being hypocrites for criticizing the ad, considering that the mayor himself does not hesitate to spew out profanities in the presence of children.

Trillanes, who is running for vice president, said the use of children in the ad was deliberate “to hammer the message that they should always be part of the consideration in our choice of leaders of the country.”

He said choice of leaders is important especially for children, as “they will emulate these leaders.”

“Besides, the children were shown in a positive light and all pertinent laws were strictly followed,” the senator said.

The ad shows several video clips of Duterte dishing out profanities, kissing women on the lips and joking about the rape and killing of an Australian lay minister and killing people.

The children in the ad were shown asking if someone like Duterte should be elected and if what he was saying in those clips was right or proper. 

The ad swiftly drew condemnation from Duterte’s supporters, particularly netizens.

“But wait, Dutertards are suddenly concerned about children? Yet they laugh every time Duterte cusses and jokes about his penis and rape, not realizing that children are listening, too? Such hypocrisy, right? Now, that’s what the ad is all about, too,” Trillanes said. He added he had to save money to pay for the ad.

In the last two weeks of the campaign, Trillanes came out with allegations about Duterte having P2.4 billion in bank deposits that he never declared.

He also alleged that Duterte’s children owned 40 properties and bank deposits amounting to close to P300 million.

Last Thursday, Trillanes also filed a plunder complaint against Duterte for the latter’s allegedly maintaining 11,000 ghost employees in the city government of Davao in 2014. He said the city government spends P708 million a year to pay for the salaries of these ghost employees.

Netizens’ outrage

Netizens, apparently supporters of Duterte, were in uproar over the TV ad, which aired on ABS-CBN and GMA-7. TV5 issued a statement why it did not air the ad.

More than 3,000 netizens have signed an online petition seeking the filing of a lawsuit against the two television networks.

It claimed that the networks violated a provision of the Fair Elections Act, quoting a portion of the law stating that “no political advertisement or propaganda for or against any candidate or political party shall be published or broadcast through mass media.”

However, a review of the law showed that the quoted provision was in reference to the effectivity of the rules and regulations as promulgated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The provision cited in the online petition removed the phrase “prior to effectivity of said rules and regulations” to make it appear that the law states that no political advertisement against a candidate shall be aired through mass media.

The same online petition also claimed that the networks violated Republic Act 7610, or the Anti-Child Abuse Law. It specifically cited a section on the use of children for obscene publications and indecent shows.

ABS-CBN said it has nothing to do with the production of the advertisement and that it was its duty to air it.

“The controversial political advertisement being talked about in social media, which aired on ABS-CBN, was produced and paid for by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. Prior to the airing, I ethics committee reviewed the content of the material, which complies with the requirements of pertinent election laws,” the company said in a statement.  – Mike Frialde, Mayen Jaymalin