The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a measure seeking to increase by 50 percent the discount rates of political propaganda during campaign period.
House Bill 6604, authored by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and House Majority Floor Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) 9006 or the Fair Election Act to extend "equal opportunity among qualified candidates to avail [themselves of] affordable political propaganda."
The bill proposes to regulate the rates of political propaganda on television, radio and print by providing a discount of 50 percent to registered political parties and bona fide candidates during an electoral campaign period.
"During the campaign period, media outlets shall provide registered political parties and bona fide candidates a discount of fifty percent (50 percent) for political propaganda on television, radio, and print," Alvarez said in the bill.
The measure provides that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) shall have the power to regulate the rates of political propaganda and prevent media outlets from increasing the rates to more than the average rates charged to regular advertisers one year prior to the start of the election period.
Fariñas, for his part, said at present, the Fair Election Act mandates media outlets to charge political propaganda advertisements a discounted rate of 30 percent for television, 20 percent for radio and 10 percent for print over the average rates charged during the first three quarters of the calendar year preceding the elections.
To offset the losses from the discounts granted under the said law, Farinas said some media outlets circumvented the provision on discounts by raising the rates charged for political advertisements by almost 100 percent.
"This practice by certain media outlets proved too cumbersome for most candidates who have meager campaign resources to avail of political advertisement in television, radio and print media," said Fariñas.
Fariñas added that in the previous elections. political parties and bona fide candidates who have scarce resources to fun the exorbitant costs of media advertisements tend to seek for contributors to sponsor their advertisement and to whom they will be indebted to for the duration of their term of office.
"This could provide an avenue for political corruption wherein politicians would be making decisions benefitting their sponsors while foregoing the interests of the public," Fariñas said.
Once enacted, Fariñas, the measure shall provide equal opportunity among qualified political candidates to avail of affordable political advertisements through the tri-media, such as, print, radio and television.