Due to lack of funds, LP senatorial bets bank on Web ads

Since he is detained in Camp Crame, senatorial aspirant Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim is taking his electoral campaign to the virtual world of cyberspace. Promotional videos of the bemedalled former chief of the Philippine Army’s elite First Scout Ranger Regiment are uploaded on his Facebook fan page (see: Brigadier General Danny Lim) and on Youtube. One high-quality Youtube clip (see: Saludo!) featured a set of art and academic figures that include actors Joross Gamboa and Tado Jimenez, former University of the Philippines president Francisco Nemenzo, and theater director Behn Cervantes offering short testimonies about Lim. “This is literally a people’s campaign," said Lim's spokesperson Belle Enriquez in a statement on Wednesday. “We don’t have the multi-million peso logistical advantage enjoyed by other senatorial candidates, and Gen. Lim is still behind bars." Lim is detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame while facing rebellion charges in connection with the November 2007 standoff at the Manila Peninsula Hotel and also faces charges of mutiny before a military court for his alleged involvement in the so-called February 2006 “coup attempt." He is a guest candidate of the Liberal Party, which is fielding Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino as its standard bearer. Since Lim could not join the campaign kick-off in Tarlac last Monday, his wife Aloy Lim represented him. (See: Noynoy seeks God's help at campaign kick-off in Tarlac) Lim's fellow LP senatorial candidate, Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, is also largely banking on the Web for her advertisements. Hontiveros opened her own video channel on Youtube (see: risahontiveros, where a video group that calls itself Bangketa Productions launched six videos on Wednesday to support her candidacy. Hontiveros said the Youtube channel would be a major platform for her ads since a mere 30-seconder on major TV networks can cost hundreds of thousands of pesos. As of posting time, her channel already has a total of 24 subscribers and 13,920 upload views. “Connecting to voters online is a cost-effective alternative to TV ads, especially if you want to target the youth and young professionals," she said in a statement. The Commission on Election's campaign guidelines do not cover Internet ads and TV guest appearances. (See: Comelec campaign rules fail to restrict online ads)—JV, GMANews.TV