Comelec: Arroyo ads will stay at least till Friday

At least until Friday, the Commission on Elections sees no reason to stop the "legacy" advertisements and infomercials of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said a person running for a local post is not considered a candidate until the start of the campaign period on March 26 for candidates of local posts. "Ang Korte Suprema nagdesisyon na, ang sabi, ang tao di considered candidate until start of the campaign period. (So) until March 26 sila di pa considered candidate, so walang premature campaigning (The Supreme Court already ruled that a person is not considered a candidate until the start of the campaign period. In Mrs. Arroyo's case she is not considered a candidate until March 26, so she cannot be held liable for premature campaigning)," Larrazabal said in an interview on dzXL radio. President Arroyo is running for a seat in the House of Representatives representing Pampanga's second district, a move her critics claim is part of a plan to ensure her stay in power beyond June 30. Government critics claim that once Mrs. Arroyo is elected as congresswoman, her allies will push for a shift to a parliamentary form of government that would allow her to run for prime minister. Earlier this week, senatorial candidate Rep. Theresia Hontiveros Baraquel asked the Comelec to ban Mrs. Arroyo’s “vanity ads," which she called “unlawful campaign propaganda." She was referring to the advertisement binge that promotes Mrs. Arroyo's legacy shortly after she filed her candidacy. She cited as example the infomercial “Ganito Tayo Noon, Ganito Tayo Ngayon" which, she said, “proves that the congressional contest in Pampanga is skewed in favor of GMA (initials for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo)." She said that while “regular candidates are given restrictions on advertising and campaign collaterals, President Arroyo is unfairly and unconstitutionally given special treatment." — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV