Poe clarifies stand on ad limits

Congratulations to the Inquirer for a very successful Senate Forum Series! Thanks, Inquirer, for giving me the opportunity to be part of the third installment held in Cebu. I applaud the Inquirer for taking the discussions to the regions and bringing to fore the concerns of voters not just in Metro Manila, but in other parts of the country as well.

In the article covering the event, “Bets clash on political dynasties in PDI forum” (Page A1, Inquirer, 4/27/13), the following was reported:

“Poe said emerging political leaders who are not members of political families are discouraged from running for elective posts because they don’t have the financial capability to run a campaign. She cited the prohibitive cost of

radio and TV ads where a one-minute, 20-second ad costs as much as P1.2 million. Poe said she agreed with the Commission on Elections’ move to impose airtime limits on political advertisements on TV and radio because it, in effect, levels the playing field.”

To clarify, what I said was that I agree with the Comelec’s 120-minute limit on TV ads because of their prohibitive cost, which is roughly P1 million per minute. While I said that I agree with the Comelec’s move to impose airtime limits on political advertisements on TV, I also said that I do not agree with the limits imposed on radio and Internet advertisements because they’re a more affordable way to reach voters. This is a stand that I have maintained since the beginning of the campaign period.

In addition, I’ve always advocated that government should give the tax equivalent savings to networks that allow candidates to advertise at a fraction of the cost of the standard airtime rates.

I hope this letter resolves the confusion.

—GRACE POE

senatorial candidate, Quezon City