Binay, Poe top poll advertisement spenders – PCIJ

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay spent the most for ad placements among presidential candidates in the first 50 days of the official campaign period, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) said, citing data from Nielsen Media.

Binay, of the United Nationalist Alliance, spent almost P345 million for ad placements during the period, followed closely by independent candidate Sen. Grace Poe with P331.4 million.

Disputing the report, Binay told reporters after a campaign rally in Sorsogon City: “I heard there’s a candidate who already surpassed the limit,” but declined to name the candidate.

“We will spend within the limitations,” he said.

The Nielsen Media data, as reported by PCIJ, showed spending by top candidates for president, vice president and senators already at a whopping P2.7 billion from Feb. 9 to March 31.

The report noted the expenses of the two presidential bets on advertisements alone have breached half of the limit set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on total campaign spending by candidates.

The figures were based on published rate cards for TV, radio, print and outdoor ad placements.

PCIJ executive director Malou Mangahas said that while election rules allow candidates to get discounts for placements, they have yet to confirm the actual cost paid for by the candidates as most media entities that ran the ads have yet to submit copies of the contracts and receipts to the poll body.

Liberal Party (LP) candidate Manuel Roxas II is third on the list with a little over P157 million worth of ads, excluding tandem and solo ads paid for by his party.

“I intend to comply with the law. The law has limits, both in ad time and in pesos spending, and I will scrupulously follow the law and comply with such,” Roxas told reporters in Talisay in Cebu, in reaction to the PCIJ report.

He lamented being “criticized for being rich” even if his rivals had spent more.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte had an advertising bill of P110.36 million during the period.

PCIJ said it was the party of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, the People’s Reform Party, which spent for her advertisements worth P59.14 million.

For vice presidential candidates, Poe’s runningmate Sen. Francis Escudero had the highest total ad placement bill of almost P236 million, followed by LP candidate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo with P225.1 million (excluding tandem ads paid for by LP) and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano who spent P172.4 million.

PCIJ said Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spent almost P43 million in advertisement placements during the period.

Sens. Antonio Trillanes IV and Gregorio Honasan had advertisement bills amounting to P38.9 million and P120,600, respectively.

For party expenses, the report said LP spent another P54.3 million on ads that featured President Aquino endorsing Roxas and Robredo.

UNA had no expenses yet during the period, and the report did not indicate if there were expenses paid for by PDP-Laban for Duterte or Nacionalista Party for Cayetano, Marcos and Trillanes.

PCIJ said the advertising bills of Duterte and Cayetano also included tandem ads, paid for by the senator and an unidentified party.

Senator expenses

For senatorial candidates, PCIJ said former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino is in first place in terms of ad placement spending with P135 million.

He is followed by Sen. Franklin Drilon of the LP (almost P94 million), Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (P84.4 million) and former senator Richard Gordon (P83.4 million).

PCIJ said Gordon’s ad placements were paid for by his party, Bagumbayan Volunteers for a New Philippines.

Other top spenders during the campaign period are Sen. Ralph Recto (P77.4 million), former senator Francis Pangilinan (P75 million) and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (P72.4 million).

Election rules limit campaign spending to P10 per registered voter for presidential and vice presidential posts; P5 per registered voter for independent senatorial candidates, political parties and party-list organizations; and P3 per registered voter for senatorial candidates from political parties.

With around 55.7 registered voters, this would mean a campaign spending limit of P557 million for candidates for president and vice president; P278.5 million for independent Senate bets, political parties and party-list organizations; and P167.1 million for Senate bets with parties.

No limit was set prior to the campaign period, with PCIJ noting last minute spending among candidates on the week before the campaign period began.

Mangahas stressed the need for stricter monitoring of campaign spending as advertisement placements are not the only expenses of candidates.

Other expenses, which should be reported to the Comelec within 30 days after the elections, include those for production of ads, conduct of public rallies, campaign giveaways, logistics for sorties, rental and equipment for campaign headquarters, printing of sample ballots and compensation for campaign staff and poll watchers, among others.

Comelec Commissioner Luie Tito Guia urged the public yesterday to help them monitor the expenses of candidates.

“The campaign finance regulation, the only way we can enforce this, within the framework that we have right now, is to have the support of everyone: civil society, public and the media,” he said.

He also called on the media entities handling ad placements to follow the rules on submission of documents regarding advertising contracts.

Violators of the rule on campaign spending limit face administrative and criminal charges, he said. – With Helen Flores, Paolo Romero