SC ruling on ads is anti-poor candidates

Atty. Romeo Macalintal. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court decision stopping the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from putting a cap on airtime of political ads has placed poor candidates in a very disadvantageous position, an election lawyer said Wednesday.

Lawyer Romulo Macalintal said the high court’s ruling only favored the rich senatorial candidates and rich party list representatives.

“With 50 million registered voters, they can spend for their own P3 per registered voter or a total of P150 million each, aside from the right of their political parties to spend P5 for every registered voter or a total of P250 milliion  expense per political party.  For sure, the poor candidates and marginalized party list groups cannot come up such big amounts thus putting them at a very disadvantageous position,” Macalintal said.

“The substantive evil the time limitations were intended to prevent has been allowed by [the Supreme Court ruling],” he added.

Quoting a 1969 Supreme Court ruling, he pointed that “huge expenditure of funds gives deserving but poor candidates slim chances of winning. They constitute an inducement to graft to winning candidates already in office in order to recoup campaign expenses.”

But Macalintal said Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes should stay.

“The nation needs his guts and moral fiber to see to it that election laws and regulations are properly implemented no matter what or who gets hurt or affected,” he said.

Macalintal called the high court’s ruling as a temporary setback and should not affect the Comelec’s preparations for next month’s polls.