By MIKHA FLORES
TELEVISION and radio networks need not secure a permit from the Commission on Elections for candidates to appear in their programs.
Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Tuesday Comelec plans to come out with a resolution clarifying a provision in the Fair Elections Act requiring broadcast stations or entities to secure an approval before guesting candidates. “We just want to make sure of the wordings,” Brillantes said.
Brillantes added the contentious provision should not be taken to mean as a requirement for “prior consent” from Comelec.
“It is just a prior notice that they’re going to interview all of these (candidates). We cannot regulate the interview but we will just have to monitor and check whether it could fall under campaign propaganda or a legitimate interview on issues for a legitimate cause,” Brillantes said.
Election campaigns or partisan political propaganda are subject to Comelec’s regulations. Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Elections Act limits airtime to 120 minutes for television and 180 minutes for radio per candidate. Under Comelec’s implementing rules for 2013, the airtime limit will be measured in “aggregate” instead of the “per station” basis that was used in the past three elections.
Legitimate interviews are not counted against the airtime of candidates.
Brillantes also said they based the change in measurement to the law’s “legislative intent” where lawmakers intended to measure airtime limits in aggregate. “The legislative intent as far as we can see was really a limitation of 120 or180 for the medium itself,” Brillantes said Monday.
The resolution will also remind media practitioners for “fair and accurate reporting” about “matters of public interest”. Comelec will also give a “right to reply” to political parties and candidates to charges published or aired against them.
The resolution will also provide that the reply should be given “the same prominence” as the first statement, meaning it should be “in the same page or section, or in the same time slot.”