UNA: Mar Roxas ads get heavy airplay in Visayas, Mindanao

JV Bautista. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines–The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay is grumbling about the lack of funds to bankroll his political ads while at the same time questioning where Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II is getting the money for his radio and television advertising campaign in the provinces for the last few months.

United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) interim president and Navotas Rep. Tobby Tiangco announced that the party has approved the final copy of three political TV ads of Binay. But Tiangco said that the UNA has not raised the funds in order to air these ads on the major TV networks. “We’re still waiting for somebody willing to fund them,” said Tiangco.

But while UNA is having difficulty in scrounging for money for its TV campaign, UNA interim secretary general JV Bautista is claiming that Roxas has been using funds of the Department of Interior and Local Government for his ads in the guise of sponsored time-checks, AOBs and infomercials.

“We want to know if these ads which have been airing for several months now are being funded by taxpayers’ money. 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 claimed that the Roxas ads were getting “heavy” airplay in Visayas and Mindanao from 5 a.m. to nighttime. “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 said. “What value can the people get if the DILG sponsors time-checks? Does these come with coffee and bread for breakfast? ” Bautista asked.