PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Ka Leody de Guzman of the Partido Lakas ng Masa welcomed today the recent decision by Google to ban political ads from the Philippines on its platforms. The labor leader also called on Comelec to ban all commercial political ads.
The ban by Google will run from February 8 up to Election Day on May 9.
De Guzman said, “Maluwag nating tinatanggap ang ganitong desisyon ng Google. Nananawagan tayo sa Comelec na ipagbawal ang lahat ng komersyalisadong pulitikal na advertisement. Gawing responsibilidad ng gobyerno ang pagmumulat sa mga botante at sa pagpapaunlad sa kanilang pulitikal na matyuridad. Sinasamantala ng mapeperang mga kandidato ng mga bilyonaryo ang kawalan ng batas laban sa premature campaigning. Nalulunod na sa mga political ad ang TV, social media, at radyo. Mas marami pa sa mga komersyal ng sabon at shampoo”. [We openly welcome the decision by Google. We call on Comelec to ban commercial political ads. Government must assume responsibility for voter education and the raising of their political maturity. Moneyed candidates, representing the billionaires, are exploiting the absence of a law against premature campaigning. They are flooding TV, social media, and the air waves of their commercials, which are even more than advertisements for soaps and shampoos.]
He added, “Kailangan ng level playing field. Bigyan ng tsansa ang kwalipikadong lider ng masa na lumaban sa halalan. Alisin ang bentaheng pinansyal ng mga elitistang kandidato. Unahin ang interes ng taumbayan hindi ang personal na ambisyon ng mga tiwaling pulitiko at mga pulitikal na dinastiya. Isulong ang electoral reforms gaya ng pagpapalakas sa party system, pagbabawal sa turncoatism, at pangunguna ng gobyerno sa pagpapakilala sa kandidato at kanilang bitbit na plataporma”. [We need a level playing field. Qualified leaders from the ranks of the people should be given a fair chance in the elections. Remove the financial advantage of the elitist candidates. The interest of the people should enjoy primacy over the personal ambition of crooked politicians and political dynasties. Institute electoral reforms such as the strengthening of the party system, prohibition against turncoatism, and the responsibility of the state to increase voter awareness on candidates and their platforms.]
Ka Leody is running under the banner of “Manggagawa Naman”, that aims to highlight worker-candidates and their platforms to address the everyday problems of the masses.
