Morato: I broke no laws with my TV program

Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Chair Manuel Morato is disputing a Commission on Elections (Comelec) order for his prosecution for breach of election laws in 2010, asserting that “there is no clear line dividing press freedom and the ban on electioneering.”

In an e-mail to the Inquirer Sunday, Morato asked, “Is there a Supreme Court doctrine on this?”

“Why was I not reprimanded during the 2010 campaign period if they thought I was violating the law? Where was Director James Jimenez of Comelec who was in charge of monitoring campaign violations? Where was the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, which is also tasked with monitoring all TV programs for poll-related violations?” he said.

Morato, also a former chair of the MTRCB said, “It proves they saw nothing really wrong, because most of the time I cracked jokes and made the public laugh.”

He explained: “To some viewers, Dial M was both a public service and comedy show. There was no malice. We poked fun at candidates who were lying or doing foolishness. Is that wrong? If they didn’t want to be criticized, they should have behaved properly.”

The Comelec said Friday it had found probable cause against Morato for violation of election laws when he used his television show “Dial M” (on state-run television NBN-4 and IBC-13) in 2010 to endorse the candidacies of then Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and actor Edu Manzano for president and vice president, respectively.

In a full-commission order, the Comelec directed its law department to file criminal charges against Morato in court.

The Comelec charged Morato with violating Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code when as a  member of the PCSO board, he authorized the release of public funds to air his TV program on May 3 and 5, 2010, and which he used to support the candidacies of Teodoro and Manzano, as well campaign against opposition senatorial candidates Teofisto Guingona III, Francis Escudero and Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel.

As Dial M cohost, the Comelec said, Morato “played a very important role during the May 2010 elections. His comments could change the political setup and influence the outcome of the elections. We can’t simply ignore the impact of his comments on the electorate during the May 2010 elections.”

The Comelec said Morato had the “responsibility to safeguard public funds and not allow his program to be used for partisan political activity.”

The Omnibus Election Code prohibits the use of public funds, equipment and facilities owned or controlled by the government for an election campaign.

Morato explained that he was only one of five directors of the

PCSO during the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “As a director, I had no power of the purse,” he said.

“I was only a director and I could not do that. That power belonged to higher authority so much so that whenever a patient would come to me for help, I always sought approval from the PCSO chair or general manager who was always empathetic to the poor,” he said. With a report from Niña Calleja