We welcome the Supreme Court status quo ante order, which lifted the
airtime limits of political ads imposed by COMELEC Resolution No. 9615
or the Rules and Regulations Implementing Republic Act No. 9006.
We maintain that the cheapest and most effective way of informing the
public about the qualifications of the candidates, and issues involving
them during elections, is through the medium of radio and television.
As noted by former Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban in his column in
the Philippine Daily Inquirer, "a 30-second ad placed on Channel 7's
"Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho" could on the average reach 9,509,573 people.
This calculation is derived from reports of Nielsen Philippines, the
TV-radio rating firm used by most advertisers. Using the usual single ad
rate of P419,265, the average cost per person would only be four
centavos. Other programs are cheaper but reach fewer people."
- Mr. Butch S. Raquel, Consultant to the Chaiman and CEO for Corporate
Communications