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After criticizing pol ads on TV, Gordon launches his own


On GMANews.TV’s election web show Examine, Sen. Richard “Dick" Gordon criticized television networks for allowing what he dubbed as premature campaigning by airing political advertisements of various presidential aspirants. However, just this week, Sen. Gordon launched his own political advertisement on TV with the slogan “Go Gordon!" “Even you people in television, you’re a bunch of freaks. Why? I’ll tell you why. You allow people to advertise? Villar is advertising - 320 million as of June? TV, alam mong bawal ‘yan, ‘diba? At ngayon siguro, bilyon na. Not only him but all the others. Mar Roxas, nakabisikleta pa – 250 million as of June, and all these people who are now advertising," he said. During the October 22 interview, Gordon said such practice went against the spirit of the law or Republic Act 9006, the Fair Election Act. “A question: ‘Di ba may law tayo? Bawal mag-advertise bago magkampanya? Ano ang lusot? Eh hindi pa naman kandidato eh. Pag di ka pa nakapirma sa certificate, okay lang…Have you seen me advertising? No, I have not," he said then. The Fair Election Act provides for fair election practices by regulating the use of different media of communication and information, in order to guarantee equal access to media time and space. It also prohibits any election candidate from distributing campaign materials or engaging in political propaganda before the prescribed period of campaigning by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). However, the law only considers any aspirant a “candidate" when he or she has filed his certificate of candidacy and the campaign period has begun. Therefore, any political personality who airs a political advertisement cannot be charged with premature campaigning since he or she is not yet considered a “candidate" in legal terms. Despite his earlier statements, this loophole in the law seems to be Gordon’s legal basis for coming out with his own ad. Gordon’s advertisement starts with a group of people sitting in an arena, while a voice-over asks people who were given access to education under the leadership of Senator Gordon, for example, to stand up. One or two people give their testimonial, and Gordon is shown saying, “Kung ang tao ay nakakapag-bagong buhay, bakit hindi ang bayan?" The advertisement started airing on television last week and was one of the ads shown during the Pacquiao-Cotto boxing match on Sunday. - Mavie Almeda-Uncgo and Candice Montenegro, GMANews.TV Click here to watch the full webisode of Examine with Sen. Richard Gordon on Your Vox.

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