Justify cost and explain purpose of ads, pols told

MANILA, Philippines - Two senators on Tuesday urged elected and appointed government officials to be transparent and justify the cost and explain the purpose of their advertisements. “Questionable yung perang ginastos sa advertisement, mahirap na nga ang gobyerno, masama na nga ang ekonomiya, magandang malaman at matimbang ang mga advertisements [The funds used for the advertisements are questionable as our government is poor and our economy is bad, it would be good to know where they sourced the money to enable the public to weigh their advertisement]," Senator Francis Escudero told reporters. He said government officials should be able to explain if the advertisement is for the policies and programs of the government or to advance the popularity or candidacy of anyone who wants to run in 2010. “Kung personal na pera ang ginagamit sa advertisement, maswerte sila at mayaman sila subalit ibang usapan kapag pera at pondo ng gobyerno ang ginagamit (If personal funds were used for their advertisement, they are lucky they have the money. But if they used government funds, that’s a different matter)," Escudero said. He said government officials, either from the executive or legislative branch, are obliged to explain to the public how they used government funds allocated to them. He said using government funds for advertisements is not bad but they have prioritize where they would put the money. “Magandang itanong ng sambayanan, kung halimbawa sa P1 milyon ang ginamit sa advertisement, ilang sakong bigas ba ‘yan na pwedeng mapadala sa mga tinamaan ng kalamidad sa Bicol, ilang bahay na sana ang nagawa para sa low cost housing, ilang OFW na ba ang napauwi [The public can ask if with the P1 million, for example, spent for advertisement how many sacks of rice were bought for the victims of calamity in Bicol, how many houses were built for the government’s low cost hosing project, how many OFW were brought home using that money)," Escudero said. He added “governance is about allocating scarce resources, whether it is yours or not." Echoing Escudero’s concern, Senator Francis Pangilinan said political figures with television ads “may just be throwing away their money" as it does not assure one’s victory in elections. “They should be reminded that in the 2007 elections, of the top 12 biggest TV ad spenders, eight lost and two landed near the bottom. Television ads alone will not assure one’s victory," Pangilinan said in a press statement. He said the wrong message on nationwide TV can lock in a politician’s defeat. “It’s a double-edged sword. If the message is untruthful and spreads falsehoods, our people will be able to tell. Politicos shouldn’t take our people for fools by churning out TV ads that are deceitful and untrue; it will certainly backfire," Pangilinan said. Pangilinan who, in 2007, ran an independent campaign on a platform of the need for political change spent less than a third for TV ads compared to the biggest spenders, yet landed in the top five. He said he also landed number one in vote rich areas such as Cebu, Iloilo, Negros and Pampanga despite the absence of nationwide machinery. Escudero and Pangilinan did not name names but they were apparently referring to TV ads of some of their colleagues, notably Manuel Villar, Manuel Roxas II, Panfilo Lacson and Loren Legarda, who are all known to be planning to run in the 2010 presidential election. Villar’s “Sagipin natin ang mga OFW" and Roxas’ “Lumaban Tayo" ads are becoming popular or annoying to TV viewers, depending on one’s preference. Another advertisement features Makati City residents talking about the benefits they are enjoying under Mayor Jejomar Binay’s governance. An ad featuring Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro was aired during the two-round fight of Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton, while the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) also have their respective advertisements featuring their heads. - GMANews.TV