Roxas using gov’t money to fund ads for 2016 polls—UNA

MANILA, Philippines — The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) slammed Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II for allegedly using taxpayer’s money to fund radio and television advertisements said to bolster his 2016 presidential bid.

In a statement Wednesday, UNA interim secretary general JV Bautista criticized the advertisements as “an outrageous and blatant misuse of public funds motivated by party politics.”

Bautista said that the advertisements are being funded by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

JV Bautista, spokesman of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
INQUIRER PHOTO/NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

“It is pretty obvious that these radio plugs and TV ads are intended to gain political mileage for Mar Roxas. There is no public benefit to these ads but a clear shot to improve the chances of Mar in the surveys and at the same time smear the name of Vice President Jejomar Binay,” Bautista said.

Bautista said that the advertisements, which are allegedly being aired in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, are in the form of time-checks and infomercials.

“We have recordings of ads that say ‘this time check is brought to you by DILG Sec. Mar Roxas’, and the time-check is followed by anti-Binay news in the guise of news bulletins,” Bautista added.

UNA had earlier identified Roxas as the chief architect of an allegedly well-funded demolition job against Vice President Jejomar Binay called “Oplan Stop Nognog 2016.” Binay is UNA’s standard bearer for the 2016 presidential elections.

However, Roxas denied the allegations.

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