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Lifting the Political Ad Ban
and what this means to the media, us, and them
By Georgia

One day, you turn on your television set and there you see catchy images, a familiar tune, and a laughable punchline, and then, you think, yes, the quality of Filipino ads have finally been raised...then it asks you to vote for some candidate.
Last February 12, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law the Fair Elections Practices Act or RA 9006 that lifts the ban on political advertisements and allows candidates to show their wares not only on television, but on print and radio as well. This act also sets limits on the space and time a candidate can advertise in the media, on election expenses, and the use of other propaganda materials.
So what does the Fair Election Practices Act mean to (or cost) a candidate, the media industry, and ordinary citizens like us?

The Candidates	The Media	Us
They will not be able to succumb to their artista desires.	Can't ask a candidate to star in a movie and can't make a movie portraying a candidate's life which will be released or aired on TV during the campaign period.	Small relief from headaches-from-too-much-campaign syndrome.
If they are news columnists, reporters, TV/radio commentators, announcers, on-air correspondents, or personalities, they are deemed resigned or on leave.	They'll probably lose their best anchors which will wreak havoc in the station's programming, and probably lose part of their audience in the process.	Magandang Gabi Bayan and Debate ni Mare at Pare will never be the same again
They cannot be openly favored or opposed on air by any radio, TV, or cable program (like when their names or parties are repeatedly or unduly referred to).	They cannot openly favor or oppose a candidate on air.	Watching your favorite show will be a break from the campaign circus. But then again, there are those commercials...
They are limited to a 1/4 page print ad in broadsheets and 1/2 page print ad in tabloids, thrice a week, or in any other mag or publication. They are limited to a total of 120 minutes of ads on TV and 180 minutes on radio (whether paid or donated) for the whole campaign period.	It's all about the money, baby. But newspapers are required to give a 10% discount on ads, 30% for TV, and 20% for radio.	You will come to the realization that there is no escape from the propaganda and resign yourself to reading only children's books.
Candidates to political parties can spend Php 3 per registered voter. The party can spend Php 5 more for every voter. Independents can spend Php 5 for every voter. This means the limited amount to be spent is 3 times the number of every registered voter for a party candidate and 5 times the number of registered voters for a party or independent.	Let me hear you say, "Show me the money!" TV plugs can go from Php18,000 to 250,000 (for a primetime slot) for 30 seconds. Radio plugs range from Php1,800 to 6,000 per minute and broadsheet ad space go from Php23,760 to 37,752 for 1/4 of a page. To give you a better picture: for the 120 minute limit set on TV ads, that would mean 240 30-minute ads, and to get the best primetime slot for your ad you would have to shell out 60 million pesos all in all. That's just for advertising on television. What about in radio or the newspaper? You do the math.	Nothing. At least we're not the ones spending the millions. We can, however, think about how those candidates got the money. Hmm...

Also, no more than 10 poster areas can be used in each city or municipality, these areas include plazas, markets, barangay centers and the like.

So, while the Fair Election Practices Act supposedly levels the playing field for candidates, allows the media industry to flourish, and bombards the rest of us with propaganda, we should really stop and think if this allows us to know our candidates. We must remember that although the candidates will be able to create name-recall in the public, do they really show who they are or what their programs are on air? That's something to think about.