Candidates may soon find their online campaign gimmicks on popular social networking sites regulated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), too.

The poll body said that it is studying suggestions to include social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, in the websites to be monitored after it issued a resolution restricting political advertisements on the Internet.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento admitted that current laws and implementing rules have to be adjusted to keep up with the fast-paced technology and ever-changing trends in cyberspace.

“There are many people who use the social media. To keep up with all these changes in technology, the law has to be adjusted. It is well within the power of the Comelec to enforce such laws, and that is just keeping with our mandate,” Sarmiento said.

The commission kept up with these changes when it issued Resolution 9615, which restricts the frequency of display and sizes of online advertisements.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. believes that the resolution must be implemented first before they could observe and determine if there are certain lapses in the new rules.

“My own proposal is that we start implementing this. And then we observe. That is a resolution we issued, which means we can always amend it as we move on. Maybe we can come up with a mandatory resolution or a supplemental resolution later,” Brillantes said.

Under the resolution, the allowed sizes for online materials for each candidate shall be medium (300 width x 250 height); square pop-up (250x250); vertical rectangle (240x400); large rectangle (336x280); rectangle (180x150); 3:1 rectangle (300x100); pop-under (7.20x300); full banner (468x60); half banner (234x60); micro bar (88x31); button 1 (120x90); button 2 (120x60); vertical banner (120x240); square button (125x125); leaderboard (728x90); wide skyscrapers (160x600); skyscraper (120x600); and half-page ad (300x600).

The poll body’s resolution also stated that online advertisements shall “not be published more than three times in a week per website” during the campaign period.

“For this purpose, the exhibition, or display of the online advertisement for any length of time, regardless of frequency, within a 24-hour period, shall be construed as one instance of publication,” the resolution clarified.

The website owners or administrators shall also be ordered to submit to the poll body a certified true copy of the logs, which will be subjected to the review and verification of the frequency, date, time and duration of advertisement displayed for any candidate or party.

The commission also amended the rules on campaigning in the broadcast media, particularly on “tandem ads,” or those that feature a party-list with a candidate.

Brillantes said that tandem ads and joint ads (multiple candidates in one ad), will be charged to the airtime of each candidate.

For each national candidate, the Comelec said that their advertisements must not be over a combined of 120 minutes on television and 180 minutes on radio. For local candidates, television advertisements must not be in excess of 60 minutes on TV and 90 minutes on radio.

However, the poll body clarified that appearances and guestings on a bona fide newscast, interview and documentary programs that can be considered “incidental” shall not be considered campaign propaganda.

“To determine whether the appearance in a program is bona fide, the broadcast station must show that prior approval of the commission was secured and that candidates and parties were afforded
equal opportunities to promote their candidacy,” the poll body said.

On published election campaigns, the maximum size of print advertisements must be 1/4 page in broadsheets and 1/2 page in tabloids. The print advertisements shall not be published over three times a week per newspaper, magazine, or other publication during the campaign period.

Violations of the resolution, the commission said, shall constitute an election offense that carries a penalty of one to six years imprisonment and removal of right to vote and run for public office.

The official campaign period for national candidates and party-lists begins on February 12, while the campaign period for the local bets starts on March 29.

Reduced airtime levels playing field
Senatorial candidates from the administration’s Liberal Party (LP) coalition and its rival United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), meanwhile, have no qualms over the significant reduction of television and radio airtime for the campaign advertisements of national bets in the 2013 polls.

“That is the correct interpretation of the law because it pursues a leveled playing field,” Sen. Aquilino Pimentel 3rd said in a text message to The Manila Times.

“It is enough to court significant number of voters,” Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th added in a separate text message.

Pimentel and Trillanes are members of LP.

Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, for her part, noted that the reduced airtime is better because it would force those who are bidding for a Senate seat to work harder in bringing the campaign to the grassroots level.

“Unlike in the advertisements, the campaign in the grassroots level gives the voters a real glimpse of the candidates and hear their respective accomplishments and advocacies,” Magsaysay, a member of UNA, pointed out.

Rep. Tobias Tiangco of Navotas, UNA secretary general, also welcomed the Comelec’s reduction of allowed airtime for political advertisements.

“We welcome it because we can’t match the resources of the Liberal Party. We would have to strategize on how we are going to compensate for the reduced airtime. That is why we had the infomercials now because they are cheaper at this time,” Tiangco said in a separate phone interview with The Manila Times.

With a report from Llanesca T. Panti