Metro Manila – Sonia Roco, the wife of former Senator and DepEd Secretary Raul Roco and LP senatorial candidate, has called on presidential candidate Manny Villar to fully disclose the talent fees he is paying the celebrities endorsing him. This call came at the heels of a report that Villar is the top 14th ad spender at P543M in the last quarter of 2009, beating several other known consumer brands including biscuits and shampoos.
Roco quipped “Katakut-takot na pera ang sinusunog niya upang mapa-air ang kanyang mga ads. Magkano ba talaga ang kanyang binabayad sa mga mamahaling talents na ito? Kung meron, please divulge and be transparent.” (He is spending indecent amounts of money to air his ads. How much is he paying for these expensive talents? If true, he should divulge this and be transparent.)
“May pa-gimmick pa siya sa isang noontime TV show at confirmed na si Sarah Geronimo naman ang susunod niyang bayad na endorser. Habang naiintindihan namin na kailangan lang maghanapbuhay ng mga artista at kumita ang mga tv shows na ito, marapat lamang na ibunyag kung magkano ba ang kanyang ginagastos upang ito’y masuri ng COMELEC at ng BIR.” she added. (He has these gimmicks in noontime shows and now has Sarah Geronimo as another paid endorser. While we understand that these talents and shows are just trying to make a living, it is proper to have these fees fully disclosed so it can be looked into by both COMELEC and BIR)
Manny Villar is openly endorsed by Willie Revillame, Michael V., Dolphy and now Sarah Geronimo. He is also sponsoring a segment in Eat Bulaga, a noontime TV show which gives away a cash prize of P25,000 daily.
Roco stressed that while full disclosure and reports on campaign spending are expected only after the elections, it would be good to pursue having these regularly reported before and during the campaign period. She added that there are several deficient areas in our electoral laws including the rules on campaigning and pre-campaigning. “Overspending during the official campaign period is illegal. Overspending before it is both immoral and unethical.” she ended.
Sonia Roco for Senator Movement Headquarters
2nd and 3rd Floors, 329 F, Katipunan Road, Brgy. Loyola Heights, Quezon City (Beside Bo’s Coffee)
Tel No. (63) 2 986-4466 Email Address: aksyonkabataan@gmail.com
Secretariat (Lian Halili): 0917-5160728 Liaison (Bobbit Roco): 0917-8191432
For interviews with Sonia Roco, contact: 0918-9059999
Follow us on: