Online Political Campaign
Once the campaign starts on February 12, 2013
the Commission on Elections will regulate and monitor online political
advertisement or political campaigning that appears in internet websites,
blogging sites, and micro-blogging sites. This new online election propaganda feature
is provided in Resolution No. 9615 issued last January 15, 2013, the Rules and
Regulations implementing Republic Act No. 9006 known as the Fair Election Act, relative to May 13, 2013 Automated Synchronized National and Local Elections.
"Given the many improvements,
particularly in the social media like Facebook and Twitter… and to keep up with
all these technology, the law has to be adjusted. It is well within the power
of the Comelec to enforce such laws. That is just keeping with our
mandate," thus said by Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento in an
interview.
“We will be implementing this resolution and
then we will observe once the campaign starts. There really isn’t any
prohibition, but in coming out with this resolution we are saying they would
limit it. We can always amend the resolution or supplement the resolution after
we see [what] rules are being abused,”
Comelec Chairman
Sixto S. Brillantes, Jr. said.
“People will not be prohibited from posting
messages of support for their candidates since it would be considered as
freedom of expression. Those working in the government however cannot be
publicly endorsing candidates on online sites, explained Chairman Brillantes.
Said resolution provides that, “personal
opinions, views, and preferences for candidates, contained in blogs shall not
be considered acts of election campaigning or partisan political activity
unless expressed by government officials in the Executive Department, the
Legislative Department, the Judiciary, the Constitutional Commissions, and members
of the Civil Service.”
How would these limitation to candidates for
using the online medium be carried out, Brillantes said that the limit was on
how much they spend. Since Facebook and twitter accounts, for example, are
free, then there technically won’t be any limit.
"Of course you need to regulate online
campaigning... You still generate expense when you advertise online. So that
has to be regulated," said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez.
The Comelec will only allow online propaganda
advertisements in the form of pop-ups, rectangles, banners, buttons, and
skyscrapers to be published thrice a
week for each website during the campaign period. The display of online
campaign for any length of time within a 24-hour period shall be construed as
one instance of publication. Said online advertisements shall "not be
published more than three times in a week per website" during the campaign
period.
In its rules, the Comelec said the maximum
size for online materials for each candidate shall be medium (300 width x 250
height); square pop-up (250 x 250); vertical rectangle (240 x 400); large
rectangle (336 x 280); rectangle (180 x 150); 3:1 rectangle (300 x 100);
pop-under (7.20 x 300); full banner (468 x 60); half banner (234 x 60); micro
bar (88 x 31); button 1 (120 x 90); button 2 (120 x 60); vertical banner (120 x
240); square button (125 x 125); leaderboard (728 x 90); wide skyscrapers (160
x 600); skyscraper (120 x 600); and half-page ad (300 x 600).
On the other hand, website owners or
administrators are being directed to submit to the Comelec a certified true
copy of the logs, which will be subjected to the review and verification of the
frequency, date, time, and duration of ads aired for any candidate or party.
Broadcast Political Campaign
Aside from the new rules on online
campaigning, the Comelec also sought to amend rules on political campaign in
broadcast media.
Under Resolution No. 9615, the new implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act 9006 or
the Fair Elections Act, the runtime of campaign advertisements of national
candidates in both television and radio should be "aggregate" and no
longer per station as in the practice in previous elections.
Candidates running for national posts will
only be allowed to run their campaign ads for 120 minutes on television and 180
minutes on radio while local
candidates are given only 60 minutes of television exposure and 90 minutes on
radio.
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