THE CMFR MONITOR OF MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE 2010 ELECTIONS
Same cast takes center stage in weeks 4 and 5 of the election coverage
BROADCAST NEWS TIMEKEEPING REPORT
FOR THE PERIOD MARCH 1-12, 2010
The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) looked at the two major primetime
news programs in the country—ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol World and GMA 7’s 24 Oras—over the
two-week period of March 1 until March 12, excluding Saturdays and Sundays. It also included
NBN 4’s Teledyaryo news show in the monitor, in order to assess how the government-run
network balances the interests of the people who run it with its responsibility to the public
which owns it. A total of 30 episodes were covered by the monitor.
In the first three weeks of the monitor, many trends became apparent in the way broadcast
news media were reporting the elections. The media focused most stories on the four leading
presidential candidates—Joseph Estrada (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino), Manuel “Manny” Villar
Jr. (Nacionalista Party), Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. (Lakas-Kampi) and Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino
III (Liberal Party) to the virtual exclusion of the other presidential candidates.
The vice-presidential candidates were hardly covered, and what airtime they received was
mostly as part of the presidential candidates’ campaigns. Not only did the senatorial
candidates receive meager airtime, the candidates who received the most coverage were those
who already held prominent positions in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Hardly
any airtime was devoted to new entrants such as the Liberal Party’s Yasmin Lao or the
Nacionalista Party’s Susan Ople, not to mention the candidates from Ang Kapatiran. The partylist elections received almost no airtime from the three news shows, although those that were
covered were mostly those associated with the current administration.
Election coverage for the period March 1-12, 2010
The three news programs devoted an average of 34% of their total airtime to coverage of
election-related reports. Teledyaryo allotted the most airtime to election coverage, with 41% of
its total news reports, while 24 Oras allotted the least airtime to the elections with 21%.
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Table 1. Election-related news reports
Teledyaryo
Total airtime of election-related 100.46
reports (in terms of minutes)
Total airtime of reports (news hole)
241.82
24 Oras
111.54
TV Patrol World
157.95
539.13
537.44
% share March 1-12
41
21
29
% share February 9-28
33
27
32
Teledyaryo decreased its coverage of the elections for this period, compared to the first three
weeks of the campaign.
24 Oras, however, increased its election coverage, with more stories on election-related issues
such as the possible padding of voters’ lists [Padding ng voters’ lists, pinangangambahan
(Padding of voters’ lists, feared), March 1 episode], as well as its voter education campaigns
[Mga sundalo, sumayaw ng ‘Bilog na Hugis Itlog’ (Soldiers dance to the tune of ‘Egg-shaped
Circle’), March 12 episode]. 24 Oras also regularly featured one of the presidential and vicepresidential candidates in its “Ikaw na Ba (Are you the One)?” interview series with Mike
Enriquez, which are originally broadcast over its partner-radio stations. The news show
allocated an average of two minutes to feature each candidate’s question and answer session
with Enriquez.
TV Patrol World allocated a third of its total airtime to coverage of the elections. The news
show devoted airtime to election-related issues such as the padding of voters’ lists and election
security [AFP, nananatiling loyal sa pangulo, (AFP to remain loyal to the president) March 12
episode], while also allotting regular airtime to its voter education campaigns Halalan (Election)
101 and Boto Mo, i-Patrol Mo, Ako ang Simula (Patrol your vote, I am the Start).
Coverage of the presidential elections
Consistent with the first three weeks of the official campaign period, reports about the
presidential race continued to dominate broadcast news, with both TV Patrol World and 24
Oras devoting the lion’s share of election coverage to the presidential candidates. Only
Teledyaryo focused on issues other than the presidential elections, but its reports were mainly
Comelec-related. 24 Oras’ coverage of the presidential candidates was 51% of its total election
coverage, while TV Patrol World’s was at 50%. Teledyaryo allocated 23% of its total electionrelated reports to news about the presidential candidates.
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Sadly, the huge amount of airtime dedicated to the presidential contenders did not guarantee
fair coverage for all the presidential candidates.
Much like the early stages of the campaign, the election reports still centered on the four
leading presidential candidates. No substantial changes occurred in terms of more inclusive
coverage of the other candidates, although the standings among the top four contenders have
changed.
Table 2. Presidential candidates with the most airtime
Rank
March
1-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Rank
Presidential Candidate
Feb
9-28
2
Villar, Manuel Jr. (NP)
3
Teodoro, Gilbert Jr.
(Lakas/Kampi)
4
Aquino, Benigno III (LP)
1
Estrada, Joseph (PMP)
8
Madrigal, Ma. Ana Consuelo
(Ind)
7
Villanueva, Eduardo (Bangon
Pilipinas)
5
Gordon, Richard (B-BayanVNP)
9
Acosta, Vetellano (KBL)
6
De Los Reyes, John Carlos (Ang
Kapatiran)
10
Perlas, Nicanor (Independent)
Teledyaryo
24 Oras
9.76
7.86
TV
Patrol
World
11.24
8.4
5.19
9.19
Total
26.19
25.45
0.70
0.29
2.12
8.07
3.16
4.28
14.64
6.82
0.79
23.41
10.27
7.19
1.12
1.65
3.04
5.81
0.17
3.52
1.32
5.01
0.0
0.0
3.72
3.82
0.11
0.19
4.23
4.01
0.24
3.06
0.30
3.6
The airtime devoted to PMP’s Joseph Estrada drastically decreased during the monitoring
period, while KBL’s Vetellano Acosta received the most airtime of his short-lived presidential
bid when he was disqualified from the presidential race on March 4, 2010.
Teledyaryo covered eight of the ten presidential candidates during the monitor period,
compared to only five in the first three weeks of the campaign. However, it still highly favored
administration candidate Teodoro, devoting entire feature stories to his campaign sorties and
speeches, in stories such as Gilbert Teodoro, dinumog ng mga taga-Caloocan (Gilbert Teodoro
mobbed by people in Caloocan, March 3 episode) and Gibo, iginiit ang partisipasyon ng
kabataan (Gibo stresses youth participation, March 10 episode).
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The blurring of the lines between news and entertainment was most evident during the period
covered by the monitor in the case of a feud between celebrities Kris Aquino and Ruffa
Gutierrez. This spilled over into the political arena when Gutierrez’s mother, Anabelle Rama,
spoke on national television and urged Filipinos not to vote for Kris Aquino’s brother,
presidential candidate Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. "That is why I plead to the public not to
vote Noynoy. He hasn’t won the presidency yet, but Kris is already big-headed. It’s as if she
owns the whole showbusiness,” Rama said in Filipino. 24 Oras and TV Patrol extensively
covered the issue, with the March 8 episode of 24 Oras airing no less than three reports on the
subject: Reaksyon ni Noynoy sa away nina Kris-Ruffa; Ruffa, nag-react; Nag-sorry si Kris
(Noynoy’s reaction to the Kris-Ruffa clash; Ruffa reacts; Kris says sorry) with a total airtime of
more than five minutes, and almost two minutes for Noynoy Aquino.
TV Patrol World matched this by airing three news reports about the issue on the same day’s
episode: Noynoy, hindi dapat idamay sa isyu ni Kris Aquino; Ruffa, hindi masasabing Team
Noynoy hanggang halalan; Kris, nag-sorry kay Ruffa at Annabel Rama (Noynoy should not be
involved in the Kris Aquino issue; Ruffa cannot commit to be with Team Noynoy until the
elections; Kris says sorry to Ruffa and Annabel Rama) with a total of almost eight minutes, with
Noynoy Aquino receiving more than one minute of incidental airtime in these stories.
Manny Villar received substantial airtime during the monitoring period, as the broadcast media
feasted on presidential aspirant Richard Gordon’s claim that Villar bribed him to give up his
candidacy.
The vice-presidential elections
The first three weeks of the election coverage by the broadcast news media, with its
overwhelming focus on the leading presidential candidates, virtually neglected to present the
vice-presidential aspirants as individuals with their own backgrounds, platforms and agenda.
The fourth and fifth weeks did not deviate from this trend; all three shows still under-reporting
the vice-presidential race.
24 Oras devoted the most airtime to the vice-presidential race, with 20% of its total electionrelated coverage given to the candidates. TV Patrol World devoted only 12% of its electionrelated coverage to the vice-presidential race, while Teledyaryo aired a measly 1%.
The meager airtime for the vice-presidential race did not assure fair coverage of all the
aspirants. Three of the eight vice-presidential candidates received a total of less than two
minutes of airtime for the two-week period from all three news shows.
The vice-presidential candidate on whom the networks devoted the most airtime was Eduardo
“Edu” Manzano of the administration slate, who received more than three times the amount of
airtime given to the second-placer, Loren Legarda of the Nacionalista Party. The reports about
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Manzano during the monitoring period were not on his programs or advocacies, but on the
perceived lack of support from his party, and the rumors about his commitment to continue
with the campaign. This was evident in reports such as Edu Manzano, aatras na? (Edu
Manzano, about to surrender?, 24 Oras, March 4), Walang atrasan (No surrender, 24 Oras,
March 5), Administrasyon, kinuwestiyon tungkol sa halos kawalan ng suporta sa kandidatura ni
Edu Manzano (Administration questioned about the lack of support for Edu Manzano’s
candidacy, TV Patrol World, March 3), Edu, tiniyak na hindi uurong sa pagtakbo bilang VP (Edu
vows not to surrender his VP bid, TV Patrol World, March 5).
Table 3. Vice-Presidential candidates with the most airtime
Rank
March
1-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Rank
Feb 928
3
1
5
6
2
4
7
8
Vice-Presidential Candidate
Manzano, Eduardo (Lakas/Kampi)
Legarda, Loren (NPC/Nacionalista)
Yasay, Perfecto (Bangon Pilipinas)
Binay, Jejomar (PMP/PDP-Laban)
Roxas, Manuel (Liberal)
Fernando, Bayani (B-Bayan – VNP)
Sonza, Jose (KBL)
Chipeco, Dominador (Ang Kapatiran)
Teledyaryo
24 Oras
TV Patrol
World
0.32
1.23
0.0
0.0
0.05
0.08
0.0
0.0
1.64
2.03
2.97
2.62
1.79
0.45
0.38
0.09
9.0
0.17
0.30
0.15
0.48
0.21
0.17
0.13
Total
10.96
3.43
3.27
2.77
2.32
0.74
0.55
0.22
Reports have yet to be aired by Teledyaryo about vice-presidential candidates Perfecto Yasay,
Jejomar Binay, Jose Sonza or Dominador Chipeco. The two other news shows covered all the
vice-presidential candidates, although the bottom two candidates were given less than one
minute total by all three networks.
Coverage of the senatorial elections
The list of the most-covered senatorial candidates over the two-week period of the monitor
was dominated by prominent names and faces from the Senate and the House of
Representatives who are running for re-election. In the survey-driven coverage by the media,
Senator and actor Ramon “Bong” Revilla was the clear frontrunner in reports such as Revilla,
nanguna sa 3 surveys (Revilla leads in 3 surveys, TV Patrol World, March 9) and Mga reelesyonista, nangunguna sa surveys (Re-electionists lead in surveys, 24 Oras, March 9).
Reelectionist senator and actor Jinggoy Estrada also profited from the reports about the
election surveys, which propelled him into second place in terms of airtime.
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Table 4. Senatorial candidates with the most airtime
Rank
March
1-12
1
2
3
4
5
Rank
Feb 928
4
3
6
7
8
7
-
9
10
9
-
Senatorial Candidate
Revilla, Ramon Jr. (Lakas/Kampi)
Estrada, Jinggoy Ejercito (PMP)
Recto, Ralph (Liberal)
Enrile, Juan Ponce (PMP)
Santiago, Miriam Defensor
(Nacionalista)
Guingona, Teofisto (Liberal)
Lim, Danilo (Independent)
Marcos, Ferdinand Jr.
(Nacionalista)
Drilon, Franklin (Liberal)
Cayetano, Pia (Nacionalista)
Teledyaryo
24 Oras
TV Patrol
World
Total
0.20
0.20
0.20
0.20
0.20
0.42
0.73
0.42
0.26
0.52
1.24
0.18
0.31
0.43
0.12
1.86
1.51
0.93
0.89
0.84
0.20
0.02
0.34
0.21
0.0
0.19
0.35
1.12
0.18
0.76
0.74
0.71
0.20
0.20
0.35
0.32
0.12
0.12
0.67
0.64
24 Oras covered the least number of senatorial candidates with 22 out of the official list of 61
senatorial candidates. Teledyaryo covered 26, while TV Patrol World reported on 33 senatorial
candidates.
Coverage of the party-list elections
The noble intent of the Party List Act (Republic Act 7941) was to provide Congressional
representation for “marginalized” groups so as to broaden representation in the House of
Representatives. But a recent Pulse Asia survey conducted from Jan 22-26 found that only one
out of three Filipinos are aware of the party-list system. Amidst claims that the party-list system
is being subverted to serve the interests of “unwinnable” opportunists who desire
Congressional seats, media coverage of the party list system and the issues surrounding it have
become even more urgent this election season.
Yet, the results of the broadcast monitor reveal that the coverage of the party-list elections
continued to be very minimal. Of the 187 party-list organizations accredited by the Commission
on Elections, the three news programs covered only 10 during the monitoring period. Only
three groups out of the 10 received more than one minute of combined airtime from all three
programs.
The trend in the coverage of the party-list elections in the monitoring week showed that
popular issues can serve as good springboards for party-list groups to get airtime.
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For instance, the spate of brownouts that hit Luzon and Mindanao in the early weeks of March
became the media platform for transport party-list 1-UTAK and its nominee, Angelo Reyes, who
also heads the Department of Energy. Reyes, the cabinet official to hold the most number of
Cabinet portfolios, was also previously the AFP Chief of Staff, and became the secretary of the
Departments of National Defense, Interior and Local Government, and the Environment and
Natural Resources. Stories on the energy crisis and the implementation of rotating brownouts
prominently featured Reyes in reports such as Problema sa kuryente (Electricity problem, 24
Oras, March 1), Nangyayaring brownout sa bansa, sinasadya ng pamahalaan para sa darating
na halalan (Brownouts intended by government for the coming elections, TV Patrol World,
March 2) and Rotating brownout sa Mindanao, maaaring umabot hanggang sa halalan
(Rotating brownouts in Mindanao may last until the elections, TV Patrol World, March 10).
The Trade Union Congress Party (TUCP) party-list group also received substantial broadcast
coverage when it called for wage hikes for labor. Media aired stories prominently featuring the
TUCP, such as Walang dagdag-sahod (No wage hike, 24 Oras, March 9), TUCP humirit ng
dagdag sweldo pero mga negosyante, tumutol (TUCP asks for wage increase but businessmen
balk, TV Patrol World, March 11) and Pormal nang naghain ang TUCP ng wage hike petition
(TUCP formally files wage hike petition, Teledyaryo, March 1). The TUCP has been publicly
endorsed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Questions about the intent and eligibility of presidential son and Pampanga congressman Juan
Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo to represent the security guard party-list group Ang Galing Pinoy
hogged media coverage of the party list elections during the monitor period.
Table 5. Party-list groups with the most airtime
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Party-list group
1-Utak
TUCP Party-list
Ang Galing Pinoy
Kabataan Party-list
Bayan Muna
Katribu Party-list
Partido ng Manggagawa
Bayani Party-list
Aksyong Magsasaka – Partido
Tinig ng Masa (AKMA-PTM)
Gabriela
Teledyaryo
24 Oras
0.0
0.74
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.30
0.0
0.60
0.02
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.34
0.40
0.0
0.0
TV Patrol
World
2.88
0.30
1.12
0.43
0.38
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.10
0.0
0.0
0.06
Total
3.48
1.06
1.12
0.43
0.0
0.34
0.40
0.30
0.10
0.06
Teledyaryo covered only two party-list groups for the entire period, while 24 Oras covered four.
TV Patrol World provided airtime for seven party-list groups.
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