DILG denies using gov’t funds for Mar Roxas’ political ads in Visayas, Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Interior and Local Government said on Thursday, that no public funds were used to finance political advertisements in the Visayas and Mindanao supposedly to gain political mileage for Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas for the 2016 presidential derby.

DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero said that no political ads were found in these two regions contrary to the claim of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) that taxpayers’ money were used for political purposes.

DILG Sec. Mar Roxas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

“As far as the DILG is concerned, no such ads exist in any of the provinces in both Visayas and Mindanao,” Panadero stressed. UNA interim secretary general JV Bautista has said that political ads are being broadcast on provincial TV and radio stations.

UNA has blamed Roxas for the controversial “Oplan: Stop Nognog 2016,” an alleged campaign to discredit his potential rival for the presidency, Vice President Jejomar Binay. Roxas, however, denied this.

“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.

Binay has consistently topped surveys of possible presidentiables in 2016.

Roxas, however, increased his public approval rating by 6 percent in the latest Pulse Asia survey, mostly in Visayas and Mindanao.

Panadero said that he, too, was “bewildered” by UNA’s allegations about the supposed use of public money for political propaganda against Binay, including the motive for making such a claim.

“We don’t know where they [UNA] got it. Perhaps they can find the answer to their questions by asking themselves,” Panadero said.

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