Padayon questions Oca, Rufus airtime

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

THE Padayon Pilipino has questioned the length of political broadcasts of the groups of Mayor Oscar Moreno and Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, prompting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to direct radio stations in the city to furnish it copies of all their political advertising contracts for review.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has also stepped in, and directed a radio station to preserve a recording of the political broadcasts.

The Padayon Pilipino complained that the length of political broadcasts of the local Liberal Party (LP) and Centrist Democratic Party (CDP) were unregulated in violation of  election rules.

Padayon Pilipino lawyer Francis Ku said the airtimes being availed by Moreno’s and Rodriguez’s groups were in violation of Comelec Resolution no. 10049 and the  Republic Act 9006, otherwise known as the Fair Elections Act.

Padayon Pilipino cited the programs of Moreno and Rodriguez being aired by radio station DxCC as examples of th alleged violations.

The Comelec confirmed that Ku complained in a letter dated April 5.

“We understand that the Comelec has the authority to supervise and regulate election propaganda… In fact it is your bounded duty to enforce the election laws,” reads part of Ku’s letter addressed to city elections officer Palmer Palamine.

Misamis Oriental  elections officer Joseph Hamilton Cuevas acted on the complaint on Thursday, and he sent radio station managers in the city a directive to  submit to the Comelec copies of all their political advertising contracts.

Cuevas cited Comelec Resolution no. 10049 as the basis for the directive. “As per Section 11 of the said resolution, dated  01 February  2016, for mass media entities located outside National Capital Region (NCR), they must furnish a copy of the advertising contracts  in accordance with the formal requirements stated under Comelec  Resolution no. 9991 to this office with in five days from signing.”

Meanwhile, NTC regional  director Teodoro Buenavista Jr. has also written to DxCC station manager Rey Maraunay, and directed the broadcast executive to preserve all political broadcasts and advertisements for 30 days.

Buenavista said the directive was based on Section 4 of NTC Memorandum Circular no. 05-06-2008, dated June 11,  2008 on “mandatory taping of radio and television programs.”