|
By Efren L. Danao Senior
Reporter
Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago on
Wednesday asked Chairman Jose Melo of the Commission on Elections (Comelec)
to make a categorical ruling on what constitutes “premature
campaigning” that is prohibited by the Omnibus Election Code.
Santiago wrote a letter to Melo
after noting that a number of perceived 2010 aspirants are now
endorsing products or promoting personal advocacies in print and
television advertisements. She described these endorsements as “a
blatant circumvention” of the ban on premature campaigning.
She gave no names, but among the
product endorsers are Senate President Manuel Villar Jr., for Hapee
toothpaste, the Nacionalista Party and the help line for overseas
Filipino workers; Sen. Loren Legarda, for Black Shop, Lucida-DS and
Luntiang Pilipinas; Sen. Manuel Roxas 2nd for Tide; Sen. Francis
Escudero, for Circulan and Instituto Santre; Sen. Panfilo Lacson,
for Facial Care Center; and Sen. Richard Gordon, for Safeguard. All
of them are believed to be eyeing the 2010 presidential elections.
Santiago said endorsers usually
argue that there is no premature campaigning because they have not
yet filed their certificates of candidacy.
“That argument is specious. Can
they look at themselves in the mirror and say the same thing? They
were never commercial endorsers before they became senators,” she
said.
She added that the ban on
premature campaigning should cover not only commercial endorsements
but also personal advocacies. Asked about the advocacies of Vice
President Noli de Castro and Chairman Bayani Fernando of the Metro
Manila Development Authority that are being advertised, she said
these should also be covered.
Santiago called for a ban on
commercial endorsements by all in government, including those who
are not eyeing 2010 and future elections.
“Those in government should
never appear as endorsers of products at any time. They might find
themselves in conflict of interest should the products endorsed be
investigated by their office,” she explained.
Villar said the rules on
premature campaigning at present are unclear, although he insisted
that he was not engaged in early campaigning for 2010.
“We respect the freedom of each
official, and we also know that this freedom has limitations,” he
added, as he expressed readiness to follow any agreed rule on
premature campaigning.
Villar said a government official
endorsing a defective product could lose credibility.
|
