Romancing politics
BENIGNO SIMEON ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III has become the third member of his immediate family to be thrust into the vortex of what a sociologist calls periodic episodes of “romanticism” in Philippine politics...
View ArticlePoll expense reports of Erap, Arroyo, wanna-be presidents shot full of holes
THE LAW on campaign finance is firm and clear. It sets firm caps on how much a candidate may spend, who may donate and receive money on his or her behalf, and what types of expenses may be allowed,...
View ArticleRoxas, Binay, Legarda splurge millions on ads
IT’S AN air war for now for the candidates for president; it’s an air war for their running mates, too. Just like their respective parties’ standard bearers, the leading candidates for vice president...
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Political Ads of Candidates for Vice President
Table 1. AD DURATION OF CANDIDATES FOR VICE PRESIDENT ON ABS-CBN 2 AND GMA 7 (NOVEMBER 1, 2009 TO FEBRUARY 8, 2010) CANDIDATES FOR VICE PRESIDENT AD DURATION (minutes) ABS-CBN 2 GMA 7 JEJOMAR BINAY...
View ArticleSecret wealth? 5 top bets have undisclosed assets
THE PHILIPPINE PRESS, widely held to be the freest and most rambunctious in Southeast Asia, has no reason to boast and gloat as journalists across the globe observe World Press Freedom Day today. Aside...
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Nat’l bets splurge P4.3B, local bets P162M on ads
THE TOP ad spender among the presidential candidates has already conceded, and his counterpart in the vice presidential race looks headed for a surprise loss as well. But it seems the government may...
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Top bets for Prez, VP, party-lists in orgy of omissions, half-truths
First of Three Parts BY ALL ACCOUNTS, the May 10, 2010 polls was the costliest ever in Philippine electoral history. The top candidates for president and vice president alone spent P4.3 billion on...
View ArticleRebuffs & denials
PCIJ tried to reach the political parties and candidates involved, with varying levels of success. Attempts to pin down Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, for example, were rebuffed. According to...
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Party-list groups, 4 top bets conspire to skirt caps on ads
Second of Three Parts THEY are avowed representatives of the poor and the marginalized, but in the May 10, 2010 elections, 12 party-list groups allied with two candidates for president, one for vice...
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All right to lie, cheat, bluff? Election laws gray, untested
Last of Three Parts IT WAS 1992; Fidel V. Ramos had just been voted as president, and Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada as vice president. Presidential bet Miriam Defensor Santiago was crying foul, saying she had...
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