No forced leave yet for GMA Network celebs endorsing candidates

GMA Network on Monday said it is not yet requiring its TV personalities who are endorsing or campaigning for candidates in the May elections to resign or take a leave of absence. This is in light of the position of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that it is not yet implementing Section 6.6 Republic Act 9006, or the Fair Election Act. The cited section states that TV celebrities and media personalities who volunteer for or are employed by candidates shall be deemed resigned if required by their company, or shall take a leave of absence from their programs.

"[G]iven that the Comelec has clarified that it is not yet implementing this particular provision, in fairness to the Network's talents and in order not to put them and the candidates they may be endorsing at a disadvantage, GMA Network will not at this time require its on-cam talents who campaign for or endorse candidates to take leave of absence from their programs," the network said in its statement. The Comelec's legal department earlier upheld the law's provision on celebrity endorsers, but Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said Monday that the law does not mandate TV personalities to resign from their work. "There is no requirement from the Comelec for a particular media practitioner to resign or take a leave. The discretion is left to the network or to the person involved," Larrazabal said in an interview aired over GMA News’ “24 Oras." GMA Network, however, reiterated its concurrence to the position of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, as well as the Comelec's legal department, calling for an implementation of the said provision. "GMA Network agrees with the interpretation of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and the Comelec's legal department of Section 6.6 of the Fair Elections Act concerning media personalities campaigning for or endorsing candidates," the statement further read. - KBK, GMANews.TV