Gordon asks Alan: Why do you want more airtime for your poll ads? Do you have lots of money?

By: Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, InterAksyon.com

MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato -- Who are your funders? Why do you want more air time for your campaign ad?

Opposition senatorial candidate Richard "Dick" Gordon on Friday dared reelectionist Senator Alan Peter Cayetano of the administration coalition to come clean with the source of his campaign ads and explain why he wanted more airtime on television and radio. 

Earlier this month, Team Pnoy's Cayetano filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to stop the Commission on Election (Comelec) from implementing a ruling on the airtime limit for candidates' advertisements, which the lawmaker says is "unconstitutional and anti-poor." 

Cayetano said Comelec Resolution 9615 “smacks of prior restraint," which is "a clear affront to the freedom of speech or expression." 

"Bakit hinihingi ni Cayetano na madagdagan ang airtime? Sinong makikinabang? Marami ba s'yang pera? Kung marami kang mayayaman na magbibigay sayo, ipaliwanag mo sino iyan. Bakit ang lakas ng loob mo?" Gordon told reporters in an interview. 

[Why does Cayateno appeal for additional airtime? Who will benefit? Does he have lots of money? If he has many rich contributors, he has to identify them. Why are you too assertive?]," he said.

"Maraming nagbibigay na mayayaman sa kanya kaya tingnan n'yo ang boto nya, wala syang sinasabi na kaledad na issue, panay gimik. Kaya sa tingin ko, in fact dapat level mo ang playing field," Gordon added.

[There are lots of rich people who contribute for his campaign that's why he does not talk about relevant issues, but just gimmicks. That's why I think there should be a level playing field.] 

Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, said the public would be better informed about the candidates if the latter face the voters and discuss their platforms with them.  
Like Gordon, two other senatorial candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance, Milagros "Mitos" Magsaysay and Nancy Binay are supporting Comelec Resolution 9615 limiting the airtime of the campaign ads of national candidates to 120 minutes for television and 180 minutes for radio.

Magsaysay and Binay said the airtime limit on campaign ads would level the playing field between those who have the money to use the medium and the poor candidates, who may have a better platform but do not have the resources to make the people know about them.
Magsaysay said if more airtime would be given to the moneyed candidates, the public would only be "bombarded with the faces of those they will only see on TV, but will never get a chance to see  them in person."

"Kung maraming airtime, magiging trabaho ng tamad ang pangangampanya, hindi katulad ngayon mano-mano ang laban, lahat kami nagpapagod gumising ng maaga para makakita ng mas maraming tao, at ganito naman talaga ang tunay na kampanya," Magsaysay said.
[If there would be lots of airtime, then the campaign will be for lazy candidates unlike now in a hand-to-hand fight, we are forced to wake up earlier to see more people, and this is how it should be.]

For her part, Binay said airtime limit would make the candidates save on campaign cost.

"Fair itong new resolution, nakita naman natin noong 2010 elections medyo nagamit 'yong minutes to the advantage of candidates. Now, makakatipid kaming mga kandidato [The resolution is fair unlike during the 2010 elections when additional minutes were used for the candidates' advantage] " Binay said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/57698/gordon-asks-alan-why-do-you-want-more-airtime-for-your-poll-ads-do-you-have-lots-of--money