Source: https://es.scribd.com/document/337089098/Osmena-v-COMELEC-Full-Text
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 08:50:02+00:00

Document:
Letter to VA Gov. Terry McAuliffe Re: "Beloved bill"
reaching voters like airplanes, boats, rallies, parades, and handbills.
11(b) states: . 6646. who is running for mayor of Daet. Stare decisis et non quieta movere. 6646.A. No. we have undertaken to revisit the decision in NPC v. it mandates the COMELEC to procure and itself allocate to the candidates space and time in the media.A. contrary to the holding in NPC. No Ad Ban. when used to describe 11(b) of R. Thus.  What petitioners seek is not the adjudication of a case but simply the holding of an academic exercise. is misleading. reduced the advantages of moneyed politicians and parties over their rivals who are similarly situated as ROGER PANOTES. No. But Panotes is for the law which. There is no suppression of political ads but only a regulation of the time and manner of advertising. petitioners do not complain of any harm suffered as a result of the operation of the law. He claims that the elimination of this substantial advantage is one reason why ROGER PANOTES and others similarly situated have dared to seek an elective position this coming elections.reargument on the same issue already decided in that case. Camarines Norte. using means other than the mass media to communicate with voters. If at all. And since a majority of the present Court is unpersuaded that its decision in NPCis founded in error. Only a Substitution of COMELEC Space and COMELEC Time for the Advertising Page and Commercials in Mass Media The term political ad ban. What is more. Indeed. who can complain against 11(b) of R. it will suffice for present purposes simply to reaffirm the ruling in that case. some of the arguments were already considered and rejected inthe NPC case. Their financial ability to sustain a long drawn-out campaign. This is what makes the present case different from the overruling decisions  invoked by petitioners. he says. 11(b) works to the disadvantage of candidates who do not have enough resources to wage a campaign outside of mass media can hardly apply to them. it is candidates like intervenor Roger Panotes. They do not complain that they have in any way been disadvantaged as a result of the ban on media advertising. Nevertheless. Their contention that. for even as 11(b) prohibits the sale or donation of print space and air time to political candidates. COMELEC in order to clarify our own understanding of its reach and set forth a theory of freedom of speech. cannot be doubted. has to some extent.
as Justice Feliciano called them in his opinion of the Court in NPC. Any mass media columnist. the franchise of all radio broadcasting and television stations are hereby amended so as to provide radio or television time. . For this purpose. and those with less resources.Prohibited Forms of Election Propaganda. radio broadcasting or television station. Comelec space. 45. equally and impartially by the Commission among all candidates within the area in which the newspaper is circulated. publication shall be done in any other magazine or periodical in said province or city. 881. Said space shall be allocated. The law is part of a .... announcer or personality who is a candidate for any elective public office shall take a leave of absence from his work as such during the campaign period. free of charge. during the period of the campaign. or any person making use of the mass media to sell or to give free of charge print space or air time for campaign or other political purposes except to the Commission as provided under Section 90 and 92 of Batas Pambansa Blg.The Commission shall procure radio and television time to be known as Comelec Time which shall be allocated equally and impartially among the candidates within the area of coverage of all radio and television stations. 92. SEC. (b) for any newspapers. (Sec. . 1978 EC). free of charge. 46. or other mass media. the Omnibus Election Code provisions referred to in 11(b) read: SEC. which shall be known as Comelec Space wherein candidates can announce their candidacy. commentator. however.(Sec. 90.The Commission shall procure space in at least one newspaper of general circulation in every province or city: Provided. In addition to the forms of election propaganda prohibited in Section 85 of Batas Pambansa Blg. On the other hand. 881. 1978 EC) The laws concern is not with the message or content of the ad but with ensuring media equality between candidates with deep pockets. That in the absence of said newspaper. it shall be unlawful: . Comelec time.
The prohibition was actually contentbased and was for that reason bad as a prior restraint on speech. mandated by Article II. unless the names of all the other candidates in the district in which the candidate is running are mentioned with equal prominence. In Adiong v. Nor was there a substantial governmental interest justifying the restriction. who has taken the side of petitioners. is not impaired by posting decals and stickers on cars and other private vehicles. any financial considerations behind the regulation are of marginal significance. as inhibiting as prohibiting the candidate himself to use the loudspeaker. The validity of the law was challenged in Badoy. The Court found the restriction so broad that it encompasses even the citizens private property. place or manner but imposed an absolute ban on the use of the jingles. Jr. COMELEC. magazines. at the campaign headquarters of the candidate or his political party.  .package of electoral reforms adopted in 1987. So is a ban against newspaper columnists expressing opinion on an issue in a plebiscite a content restriction which. unless justified by compelling reason. The voting was equally divided (5-5). [T]he constitutional objective to give a rich candidate and a poor candidate equal opportunity to inform the electorate as regards their candidacies. An order of the COMELEC prohibiting the playing of taped campaign jingles through sound systems mounted on mobile units was held to be an invalid prior restraint without any apparent governmental interest to promote. COMELEC is of a piece with Adiong. COMELEC the Court struck down a regulation of the COMELEC which prohibited the use of campaign decals and stickers on mobile units. which in this case is a privately-owned car. There is a difference in kind and in severity between restrictions such as those imposed by the election law provisions in question in this case and those found to be unconstitutional in the cases cited by both petitioners and the Solicitor General. and periodicals and prohibiting candidates to advertise outside such space. with the result that the validity of the law was deemed upheld. or at his residence. similar effort was made in 1970 to equalize the opportunity of candidates to advertise themselves and their programs of government by requiring the COMELEC to have a COMELEC space in newspapers. Compared to the paramount interest of the State in guaranteeing freedom of expression. v. Section 26 and Article XIII. Actually. however. allowing their location only in the COMELEC common poster area or billboard. is unconstitutional. as the restriction did not simply regulate time. Mutuc v. Section 1 in relation to Article IX(c) Section 4 of the Constitution.
peaceful. orderly. In effect. including reasonable.Here. equal rates therefor. On the other hand. agency. IX-C. orderly. supervise or regulate the enjoyment or utilization of all franchises or permits for the operation of transportation and other public utilities. Such supervision or regulation shall aim to ensure equal opportunity. peaceful. for public information campaigns and forums among candidates in connection with the objective of holding free. The order neither unreasonably impaired the value or use of private property nor violated the owners right not to be compelled to express support for any viewpoint since it can always disavow any connection with the message. during the election period. Instead of leaving candidates to advertise freely in the mass media.  What is involved here is simply regulation of this nature. and the right to reply. by the COMELEC. much less restriction on the content of the speech. honest. there is a substantial or legitimate governmental interest justifying exercise of the regulatory power of the COMELEC under Art. to the candidates. Robbins. during the election period. and credible elections. the COMELEC takes over the advertising page of newspapers or the commercial time of radio and TV stations and allocates these to the candidates. special privileges. They only prohibit the sale or donation of print space and air time to candidates but require the COMELEC instead to procure space and time in the mass media for allocation. it was held that a court order compelling a private shopping center to permit use of a corner of its courtyard for the purpose of distributing pamphlets or soliciting signatures for a petition opposing a UN resolution was valid. or concessions granted by the Government or any subdivision. Given the fact that print space and air time can be controlled or dominated by rich candidates to the disadvantage of poor candidates. the validity of regulations of time. free of charge. time. media of communication or information. which provides: The commission may. honest. of print space and air time to give all candidates equal time and space for the purpose of ensuring free. 4 of the Constitution. under welldefined standards. on the other hand. Nor can the validity of the COMELEC take-over for such temporary period be doubted. there is no total ban on political ads. or instrumentality thereof. the law provides for allocation. including any government-owned or controlled corporation or its subsidiary. . place and manner. and space. and credible elections. all grants. In Pruneyard Shopping Center v. is well-nigh beyond question. The provisions in question involve no suppression of political ads.
. 261(k) of the Omnibus Election Code makes it unlawful for anyone to solicit votes in the polling place and within a radius of 30 meters thereof. to engage in an election campaign or partisan political activity except during the period of one hundred twenty days immediately preceding an election involving a public office voted for at large and ninety days immediately preceding an election for any other elective public office. 50-B. Indeed. .In Gonzales v. the Court sustained the validity of a provision of R. Associations. or for any group.It is unlawful for any person whether or not a voter or candidate. caucuses.A. the Court upheld the validity of a COMELEC resolution prohibiting members of citizen groups or associations from entering any polling place except to vote. conferences. 4880 which in part reads: SEC. or other similar assemblies. or association of persons. regardless of whether or not said person has already filed his certificate of candidacy or has been nominated by any political party as its candidate. (b) Holding political conventions. whether or not a political party or political committee. COMELEC. rallies. In Valmonte v. No. The term Candidate refers to any person aspiring for or seeking an elective public office. meetings. . Committees or other groups of persons for the purpose of soliciting votes and/or undertaking any campaign or propaganda for or against a party or candidate. . Limitation upon the period of Election Campaign or Partisan Political Activity. for the purpose of soliciting votes and/or undertaking any campaign or propaganda for or against a candidate or party. on the other hand. COMELEC. Clubs. parades. . The term Election Campaign or Partisan Political Activity refers to acts designed to have a candidate elected or not or promote the candidacy of a person or persons to a public office which shall include: (a) Forming Organizations.
Petitioners state: [I]n testing the reasonableness of a ban on mountain-skiing.These decisions come down to this: the State can prohibit campaigning outside a certain period as well as campaigning within a certain place. If Pedro is not allowed to speak. but Juan may speak of what Pedro wishes to say. Any restriction on speech is only incidental. as pointed out in NPC. follow that a candidates freedom of expression is thereby enhanced. as they make another quaint argument: A candidate may court media to report and comment on his person and his programs. It is like the statutory cap on campaign expenditures. The restriction on speech. as already explained. or less abridged. What petitioners seem to miss is that the prohibition against paid or sponsored political advertising is only half of the regulatory framework. but is so unlike the real nature of 11(b). one cannot conclude that it is limited because it is enforced only during the winter season. It does not. What makes the regulation reasonable is precisely that it applies only to the election period. Petitioners likewise deny that 11(b) is limited in scope. which they call a ban. Petitioners and the dissenters make little of this on the ground that the regulation. however. Law Narrowly Drawn to Fit Regulatory Purpose The main purpose of 11(b) is regulatory. is limited both as to time and as to scope. the curtailment of Pedros freedom of expression cannot be said to be any less limited. Its enforcement outside the period would make it unreasonable. The premise of this argument is that 11(b) imposes a ban on media political advertising. and media in the exercise of their discretion just might. would be useless any other time than the election period. For unlimited expenditure for political advertising in the mass media skews the political process and subverts democratic self-government. it should be noted that a ban on mountain skiing would be passive in nature. Content regulation cannot be done in the absence of any compelling reason. the other half . More importantly. just because Juan has the freedom to speak. and it is no more than is necessary to achieve its purpose of promoting equality of opportunity in the use of mass media for political advertising. What is bad is if the law prohibits campaigning by certain candidates because of the views expressed in the ad.
quotes the following from Buckley v. petitioners quote the following from the opinion of the Court written by Justice Feliciano: The objective which animates Section 11(b) is the equalizing. when what this provision speaks of is equality of opportunity. because it rests on a misconception that Art. Sections 90 and 92 of the Omnibus Election Code require the Comelec to procure Comelec space in newspapers of general circulation in every province or city and Comelec time on radio and television stations. Valeo: [T]he concept that the government may restrict the speech of some elements in our society in order to enhance the relative voice of the others is wholly foreign to the First Amendment which was designed to secure the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse . In support of this claim. 4 mandates the absolute equality of all candidates regardless of financial status. in batting for an uninhibited market place of ideas. Not Permissible? Petitioners argue that the reasoning of NPC is flawed. On the other hand. the situations of rich and poor candidates by preventing the former from enjoying the undue advantage offered by huge campaign war chests. Further. Upon the other hand. the Comelec is statutorily commanded to allocate Comelec space and Comelec time on a free of charge. equal and impartial basis among all candidates within the area served by the newspaper or radio and television station involved. Reform of the Marketplace of Ideas. as the following sentences which were omitted clearly show: Section 11(b) prohibits the sale or donation of print space and air time for campaign or other political purposes except to the Commission on Elections (Comelec). IX-C. as far as practicable. The Court meant equalizing media access. the dissent of Justice Romero in the present case.being the mandate of the COMELEC to procure print space and air time so that these can be allocated free of charge to the candidates.
Access to public office will be denied to poor candidates if they cannot even have access to mass media in order to reach the electorate. one vote. 6646. . . and time allotments for public information campaigns and forums among candidates for the purpose of ensuring free. Regarding the regulation by the Commission of the enjoyment or utilization of franchises or permits for the operation of transportation and other public utilities. the rates. Do those who endorse the view that government may not restrict the speech of some in order to enhance the relative voice of others also think that the campaign expenditure limitation found in our election laws  is unconstitutional? How about the principle of one person. special privileges or concessions granted by the Government. in relation to 90 and 92 are part. Foz: MR. II. . 1 requires Congress to give the highest priority to the enactment of measures designed to reduce political inequalities. We speak of it as the voice of the people . 4 is not the only provision in the Constitution mandating political equality.even of God. 26 declares as a fundamental principle of our government equal access to opportunities for public service. It is not to the Philippine Constitution. there is a provision that during the election period.and antagonistic sources and to assure unfettered interchange of ideas for the bringing about of political and social changes desired by the people. No.A. IX-C. among other things. is this not based on the political equality of voters? Voting after all is speech. the Commission may regulate. What fortress principle trumps or overrides these provisions for political equality? Unless the idealism and hopes which fired the imagination of those who framed the Constitution now appear dim to us. be considered infringements on freedom of speech? That the framers contemplated regulation of political propaganda similar to 11(b) is clear from the following portion of the sponsorship speech of Commissioner Vicente B. But do we really believe in that? That statement was made to justify striking down a limit on campaign expenditure on the theory that money is speech. Art. all grants. media of communication or information. . FOZ. The notion that the government may restrict the speech of some in order to enhance the relative voice of others may be foreign to the American Constitution. Art. of which 11(b) of R. reasonable free space. XIII. being in fact an animating principle of that document. orderly. Indeed. how can the electoral reforms adopted by them to implement the Constitution. while Art.
Dissenting. Justice Panganiban argues that advertising is the most effective means of reaching voters. It is claimed that people hardly read or watch or listen to them. is merely to regulate its use through COMELEC-sponsored advertising in place of advertisements paid for by candidates or donated by their supporters.honest and peaceful elections. All this is of course mere allegation. must be respected. What is more. it is an assertion concerning the adequacy or necessity of the law which should be addressed to Congress. The remedy prescribed by it. the gap between the two will not necessarily be reduced by allowing unlimited mass media advertising because rich candidates can spend for other propaganda in addition to mass media advertising. Assuming that rich candidates can spend for parades. The claim will not bear analysis.A. unless clearly shown to be repugnant to fundamental law. On the Claim that the Reforms Have Been Ineffectual Petitioners contend that 11(b) is not a reasonable means for achieving the purpose for which it was enacted. this is a factual assertion without any empirical basis to support it. Well-settled is the rule that the choice of remedies for an admitted social malady requiring government action belongs to Congress. of expression and of the press. 6646 is a permissible restriction on the freedom of speech. 244 SCRA 272. Moreover. This has to do with the media of communication or information. rallies. They further claim that 11(b) does not prevent rich candidates from using their superior resources to the disadvantage of poor candidates. motorcades. It is finally argued that COMELEC Space and COMELEC Time are ineffectual. As stated in the beginning. what petitioners claim to be the nations experience with the law is merely argumentation against its validity. He adverts to a manifestation of the COMELEC lawyer that the Commission is not procuring [Comelec Space] by virtue of the effects of the decision of this Honorable Court in the case of Philippine Press Institute (PPI) vs. as already stated. however. They claim that instead of levelling the playing field as far as the use of mass media for political campaign is concerned. Comelec. Again. it is not true that 11(b) has abolished the playing field. What it has done. airplanes and the like in order to campaign while poor candidates can only afford political ads. 11(b) has abolished it. 11(b) of R. .  As shown in this case.
(Emphasis added) Failure of Legislative Remedy Bespeaks of More than Congressional Inaction The fact is that efforts have been made to secure the amendment or even repeal of 11(b) of R. in accordance with its mandate under 11(b) of R. 6646 and 90 of the Omnibus Election Code. until May 9. No. 6646. for candidates for local elective offices. this Court did not hold in PPI v. Every radio broadcasting and television station operating under franchise shall grant the Commission. No less than five bills were filed in the Senate in the last session of Congress for this purpose. 2983-A of the COMELEC provides: SEC. COMELEC that it should not procure newspaper space for allocation to candidates. to be known as Comelec Time. There is a remedy for such lapse if it should happen. Congress obviously did not see it fit to act on the bills before it adjourned. Petitioners claim it was because Congress adjourned without acting on them. We thus have a situation in which an act of Congress was found by this Court to be valid so that those opposed to the statute resorted to the legislative department. 1998 for candidates for President. will procure print space for allocation to candidates. Grant of Comelec Time.A. Resolution No. It is to be presumed that the COMELEC. Must this Court now grant what Congress denied to them? The legislative silence here certainly bespeaks of more than inaction.To be sure. 1998. In addition. paying just compensation to newspapers providing print space. the validity of a law cannot be made to depend on the faithful compliance of those charged with its enforcement but by appropriate constitutional provisions. What it ruled is that the COMELEC cannot procure print space without paying just compensation. Whether by its manifestation the COMELEC meant it is not going to buy print space or only that it will not require newspapers to donate free of charge print space is not clear from the manifestation. 2. 1998. . No. In any event. The latter reconsidered the question but after doing so apparently found no reason for amending the statute and therefore did not pass any of the bills filed to amend or repeal the statute. effective February 10. there is the COMELEC Time during which candidates may advertise themselves. but they all failed of passage. at least thirty (30) minutes of prime time daily.A. But that is just the point. and effective March 27. upon payment of just compensation. Vice-President and Senators.
they are not imposed because of the content of the speech. Taxpayers For Vincent. COMELEC. if it furthers an important or substantial governmental interest. it is inappropriate as a test for determining the . For example.Test for Content-Neutral Restrictions In Adiong v. COMELEC this Court quoted the following from the decision of the U. Clearly. commentators. are not concerned with the content of the speech. at 377. they will be tested for possible overbreadth and vagueness. It is an appropriate test for restrictions on speech which. These restrictions. Supreme Court in a case sustaining a Los Angeles City ordinance which prohibited the posting of campaign signs on public property: A government regulation is sufficiently justified if it is within the constitutional power of the Government. Unlike contentbased restrictions. like 11(b). prohibiting columnists. are content-neutral.S. 466 US 789. content-neutral restrictions are tests demanding standards. For the criminal law is necessarily concerned with the line at which innocent preparation ends and a guilty conspiracy or attempt begins. 88 S Ct 1673. or it will not pass muster under strict scrutiny. 20 L Ed 2d 672. like 11(b). Justice Panganibans dissent invokes the clear-and-present-danger test and argues that media ads do not partake of the real substantive evil that the state has a right to prevent and that justifies the curtailment of the peoples cardinal right to choose their means of expression and of access to information. a rule such as that involved in Sanidad v. if the governmental interest is unrelated to the suppression of free expression. it was originally formulated for the criminal law and only later appropriated for free speech cases.  A deferential standard of review will suffice to test their validity.. it will be seen. In addition. (Id. a sovereign remedy for all free speech problems. (City Council v. OBrien. and announcers from campaigning either for or against an issue in a plebiscite must have a compelling reason to support it. are censorial and therefore they bear a heavy presumption of constitutional invalidity. As has been pointed out by a thoughtful student of constitutional law. and if the incident restriction on alleged First Amendment freedoms is no greater than is essential to the furtherance of that interest. 104 S Ct 2118) This test was actually formulated in United States v. It is apparent that these doctrines have no application to content-neutral regulations which. These regulations need only a substantial governmental interest to support them. 80 L Ed 2d 772. however. For this reason. The clear-and-present-danger test is not.
that it can do terrible things to undermine democracy but some wonderful things to enhance it as well.A No.P. . But it is precisely with this awareness that we think democratic efforts at reform should be seen for what they are: genuine efforts to enhance the political process rather than infringements on freedom of expression. No. A reform-minded Congress passed bills which were consolidated into what is now R. The statutory provision involved in this case is part of the reform measures adopted in 1987 in the aftermath of EDSA. No. have improper motivation. while the Senate approved it 19-0. of which petitioner Pablo P. like 11(b) of R. The petition is DISMISSED. place and manner of holding public assemblies under B.  In his recent book. that the regulation is unrelated to the suppression of speech. Applying the OBrien test in this case.  We hold R. like regulations of time. by the unbridled use of money for campaign propaganda. The House of Representatives. Blg. 6646 with near unanimity. time and space for political campaigns. 880. that any restriction on freedom of expression is only incidental and no more than is necessary to achieve the purpose of promoting equality.A. Owen Fiss speaks of a truth that is full of irony and contradiction: that the state can be both an enemy and a friend of speech. To apply the clear-and-presentdanger test to such regulatory measures would be like using a sledgehammer to drive a nail when a regular hammer is all that is needed. we find that 11(b) of R.A. voted 96 to 1 (Rep.constitutional validity of laws which. 6646. ________________ The Court is just as profoundly aware as anyone else that discussion of public issues and debate on the qualifications of candidates in an election are essential to the proper functioning of the government established by our Constitution. No. For Holmess marketplace of ideas can prove to be nothing but a romantic illusion if the electoral process is badly skewed. the Public Assembly Act of 1985. and are usually imposed because of fear of how people will react to a particular speech. 6646. are not concerned with the content of political ads but only with their incidents. Eduardo Pilapil) in favor. Garcia was a distinguished member. if not corrupted. 6646 is a valid exercise of the power of the State to regulate media of communication or information for the purpose of ensuring equal opportunity.A. The reason for this difference in the level of justification for the restriction of speech is that content-based restrictions distort public debate. 11(b) to be such a democracyenhancing measure. The Irony of Free Speech. No such reasons underlie content-neutral regulations.

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