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EIG H TEEN TH  CO NG RESS O F T H E } 
REPU BLIC O F T H E  PH ILIPPIN ES 
} 
F irst R e g u la r S ession  
}
20 
FEB 13 All :06
R E C c:'. D B ’ ':
S E N A T E
S.B. No. 1343
Introduced by SENATOR VICENTE C. SO TTO  III
AN ACT AMENDING SECTIO N S 3 ,4  AND 6  O F REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9 0 0 6  
ALSO KNOWN AS TH E FA IR ELECTION S ACT TO INCLUDE STATIC AND 
LED BILLBOARDS AND O TH ER  OUTDOOR ADVERTISING M EDIA AS 
LAWFUL ELECTION  PROPAGANDA
EXPLANATORY NOTE
One of the most important aspects of free, orderly, honest, peaceful and 
credible elections through fair and reasonable exercise of the right of suffrage is 
the need for information dissemination. This is to better inform the voters of the 
candidates and their respective platforms.
Just like television, radio and newspapers, Out-of-Home Advertisements 
through static billboards and LED billboards can also be used effectively by the 
political parties, candidates and private persons in information dissemination. 
In utilizing static and LED billboards, their platforms, agenda and sentiments 
will be able to reach out a greater segment of the voting public.
The purpose for common poster areas or public billboards, in public places 
is to better inform the public of the candidates and parties and the platforms on 
which they stand. Unlike television or radio advertisements where the political 
advertisement can only last for few seconds to a minute, a candidate or party 
can advertise its programs, agenda and platform in a static or LED billboard 
longer and more frequently. The comparison between a newspaper and a 
billboard is also readily apparent because a newspaper is only good for the day 
when it is published but a billboard is available 24/7.


Also, with respect to campaign expenditures, the amount of contracting or 
leasing a billboard space is substantially lower compared to hundreds of 
thousands of pesos spent on advertisement in radio or television or newspaper. 
Political advertisement through an outdoor media like billboards and LED 
billboards make it readily accessible to a political candidate with limited funds.
Clearly, Static billboards and LED billboards are outdoor media that can 
be used by political candidates, parties and even private persons during the 
election period to advertise the platform or agenda or express advocacies and 
sentiments. These medium, however, were not specifically mentioned under the 
Fair Election Act or Republic Act No. 9006, which is why this representation 
seeks to amend the same.
Thus, it becomes imperative to amend the provisions of the Fair Elections 
Act to specifically include Static and LED Billboards as lawful election 
propaganda.
sought
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly
V ICEN TE C. SO TTO  III


Senate
° ^ / iS(('Ct of tbf ftTcrftarp
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE } 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
} 
F irst R e g u la r S essio n  
}
S E N A T E
S.B. No. 1343
20 
CEB 13 All :06
REC'i .-OB'- .
Introduced by SENATOR VICENTE C. SOTTO III
AN ACT AMENDING SECTIONS 3,4 AND 6 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9006 
ALSO KNOWN AS THE FAIR ELECTIONS ACT TO INCLUDE STATIC AND 
LED BILLBOARDS AND OTHER OUTDOOR ADVERTISING MEDIA AS 
LAWFUL ELECTION PROPAGANDA
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled:
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SECTION 1. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 9006, as amended, also known as
2 
the Fair Elections Act, is hereby amended to read as follows:
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“Sec. 3. Lawful Election Propaganda. - 
Election propaganda
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whether on television, cable television, radio, newspapers or any
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other medium, INCLUDING OUTDOOR STATIC AND 
LED
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BILLBOARDS AND MOBILE OR TRANSIT ADVERTISMENT, is
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hereby allowed for all registered political parties, national, regional,
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sectoral parties or organizations participating under the party-list
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elections and for all bona fide candidates seeking national and local
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elective positions subject to the lamination on authorized expenses
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of the candidates and political parties, observance of truth in
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advertising and to the supervision and regulation by the
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Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
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For the purpose of this Act, lawful election propaganda shall
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include:
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3.1 
Pamphlets, leaflets, cards, decals, stickers or other written 
or printed materials the size of which does not exceed eight 
and one-half inches in width and fourteen inches in length;


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3.2 
Handwritten or printed letters urging voters to vote for or 
against any particular political party or candidate for public 
office;
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3.3 
Cloth, paper or cardboard posters whether framed, or 
posted, with an area not exceeding two (2) feet by three (3) 
feet, except that, at the site and on the occasion of a public 
meeting or rally, or in announcing the holding of said 
meeting or rally, streamers not exceeding three (3) feet by 
eight (8) feet in size, shall be allowed: Provided, That said 
streamers may be displayed five (5) days before the date of 
the meeting or rally and shall be removed within twenty- 
four (24) hours after said meeting or rally;
3.4 
Paid advertisements in print or broadcast media: Provided, 
That the advertisements shall follow the requirements set 
forth in Section 4 of this Act; [and]
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3.5 
OUTDOOR AND STATIC OR LED BILLBOARDS OWNED 
BY PRIVATE ENTITIES OR PERSONS PROVIDED THAT 
THE OWNERS OF THE SAID BILLBOARDS SHALL GIVE 
THEIR 
CONSENT. 
FOR 
PURPOSE 
OF THIS ACT, 
“BILLBOARD” MEANS A SIGNBOARD, IDENTIFICATION, 
ILLUSTRATION, IMAGE, PICTURE OR ANY OTHER 
DEVISE FOR OUTDOOR ADVERTISEMENT CONSISTING 
OF A SUPPORT STRUCTURE, A DISPLAY OR MESSAGE 
AREA, AN OPTIONAL LIGHTING SYSTEM AND RELATED 
COMPONENTS INSTALLED ON LAND, BUILDING OR 
PROPERTY TO ATTRACT OR DIRECT ATTENTION TO A 
PARTICULAR 
PRODUCT, 
SERVICE, 
IDEA, 
INFORMATION, 
DESIGN, 
SYSTEM, 
ACTIVITY, 
INSTITUTION, 
BUSINESS, 
BELIEF 
AND/OR 
PERSONALITY. A STATIC BILLBOARD REFERS TO 
TRADITIONAL BILLBOARDS PRINTED ON A TARPAULIN 
OR 
SOLID 
BOARD 
WHILE 
LED 
OR 
DIGITAL 
BILLBOARDS ARE ELECTRONIC DISPLAYS THAT ARE 
CONTROLLED REMOTELY BY COMPUTERS;
3.6 
MOBILE OR TRANSIT ADVERTISMENT ON PUBLIC 
UTILITY 
VEHICLES 
PROVIDED 
THAT 
THE 
ADVERTISMENT 
IS 
CONSISTENT 
WITH 
THE 
GUIDELINES OF THE LAND TRANSPORTATION AND


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3.7
FRANCHISING REGULATORY BOARD 
(LTFRB) FOR 
COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENTS; AND
All other forms of election propaganda not prohibited by the 
Omnibus Election Code or this Act.”
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SECTION 2. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 9006 is hereby amended to read
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as follows:
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“Section 4. Requirements for Published or Printed and Broadcast Election
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Propaganda. - 4.1. Any newspaper, newsletter, newsweekly, gazette or
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magazine advertising, posters, pamphlets, comic books, circulars,
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handbills, bumper stickers, streamers, sample list of candidates or any
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published or printed political matter and any broadcast of election
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propaganda by television or radio OR ANY OUTDOOR ELECTION
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PROPAGANDA IN THE FORM OF STATIC OR LED BILLBOARDS for or
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against a candidate or group of candidates to any public office shall
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bear and be identified by the reasonably legible or audible words
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"political advertisement paid for," followed by the true and correct name
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and address of the candidate or party for whose benefit the election
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propaganda was printed or aired.
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4.2. If the broadcast is given free of charge by the radio or television
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station, it shall be identified by the words "airtime for this broadcast
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was provided free of charge by" followed by the true and correct name
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and address of the broadcast entity.
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4.3. Print, broadcast or outdoor advertisements donated to the
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candidate or political party shall not be printed, published, broadcast,
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or exhibited without the written acceptance by the said candidate or
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political party. Such written acceptance shall be attached to the
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advertising contract and shall be submitted to the COMELEC as
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provided in Subsection 6.3. hereof.”
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SECTION 3. Section 6 of Republic Act No. 9006 is hereby amended to read as
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follows:
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“Section 6. Equal Access to Media Time and Space. - All registered 
parties and bona fide candidates shall have equal access to media time 
and space. The following guidelines may be amplified on by the 
COMELEC.
6.1. Print advertisements shall not exceed one-fourth (1/4) page, in 
broad sheet and one-half (1/2) page in tabloids thrice a week per


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newspaper, magazine or other publications, during the campaign 
period.
6.2. (a) Each bona fide candidate or registered political party for a 
nationally elective office shall be entitled to not more than one hundred 
twenty (120) minutes of television advertisement and one hundred 
eighty (180) minutes of radio advertisement whether by purchase or 
donation.
(b) Each bona fide candidate or registered political party for a 
locally elective office shall be entitled to not more than sixty (60) 
minutes of television advertisement and ninety (90) minutes of 
radio advertisement whether by purchase or donation.
(C) 
EACH 
BONA 
FIDE 
CANDIDATE 
OR 
REGISTERED 
POLITICAL PARTY FOR A NATIONAL OR LOCAL ELECTIVE 
OFFICE SHALL BE ENTITLED TO NOT MORE THAN TWO (2) 
STATIC BILLBOARD PER BARANGAY WITH A MAXIMUM 
BILLBOARD SIZE OF TWO THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED 
SQUARE FEET (2400 SQ.FT.) WHETHER BY LEASE OR 
DONATION.
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(D) 
EACH 
BONA 
FIDE 
CANDIDATE 
OR 
REGISTERED 
POLITICAL PARTY FOR A NATIONALLY ELECTIVE OFFICE 
SHALL ALSO BE ENTITLED TO NOT MORE THAN TWO 
HUNDRED FORTY (240 MINUTES) ADVERTISEMENT PER 
LED BILLBOARDS WHETHER BY LEASE OR DONATION. FOR 
LOCAL ELECTIVE OFFICE, EACH BONA FIDE CANDIDATE OR 
REGISTERED POLITICAL PARTY SHALL BE ENTITLED TO 
NOT MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED TWENTY (120 MINUTES) 
ADVERTISEMENT PER LED BILLBOARDS WHETHER BY 
LEASE OR DONATION.
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(E) EACH BONA FIDE CANDIDATE, WHETHER NATIONAL OR 
LOCAL, FOR ANY ELECTIVE POSITION MAY UTILIZE MOBILE 
OUTDOOR ADVERTISEMENTS IN PUBLIC UTILITY VEHICLES 
PROVIDED THAT THE DIMENSION OF THE ADVERTISEMENT 
IS CONSISTENT WITH THE GUIDELINES OF THE LAND 
TRANSPORTATION 
FRANCHISING 
AND 
REGULATORY 
BOARD ON TRANSIT ADVERTISEMENTS.
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For this purpose, the COMELEC shall require any broadcast station or 
entity to submit to the COMELEC a copy of its broadcast logs and 
certificates of performance for the review and verification of the


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frequency, date, time and duration of advertisem ents broadcast for any 
candidate or political party. THE COMELEC SHALL LIKEWISE 
REQUIRE ANY OUTDOOR COMPANY OR ENTITY TO SUBMIT TO 
THE COMELEC A COPY OF ITS CONTRACTS FOR ELECTION 
PROPAGANDA FOR THE REVIEW AND VERIFICATION OF THE 
FREQUENCY, 
DATE, 
TIME 
AND 
DURATION 
OF 
OUTDOOR 
ADVERTISEMENTS FOR ANY CANDIDATE OR POLITICAL PARTY.
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SECTION 4. The Commission on Election shall promulgate the necessary
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implementing rules and regulations within sixty (60) days from the effectivity
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of this Act.
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SECTION 5. Separability Clause. - If any part or section of this Act is declared
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unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the other parts or sections
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of this Act.
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SECTION 6. Repealing Clause. — All other laws, acts, presidential decrees,
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executive 
orders, 
presidential 
proclamations, 
issuances, 
rules 
and
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regulations or parts thereof which are contrary to or inconsistent with any of
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the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified
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accordingly.
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SECTION 7. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,