If he wins, senatorial candidate and human rights lawyer Jose Manuel 'Chel' Diokno will propose a law to level the playing field for political candidates in terms of equal airtime on television ads.

He lamented his experience during the 2019 midterm elections when he run under the Liberal Party’s (LP) Otso Diretso. Though he has a good following on social media because of his “Chel-dren,” which refers to his supporters and volunteers, Diokno failed to clinch a Senate seat and fell to 21st place.

“Kailangan talaga maging mas pataas ang tawagin nating (We need to make fair what we call the) playing field pagdating sa (in the) elections,” he said on Sunday, Dec. 19, over dzXL.

Diokno was a guest in the weekly radio show of presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo, who is currently visiting typhoon-ravaged provinces in Visayas and Mindanao.

He is also running in the ticket of Robredo and running mate Senator Francis 'Kiko' Pangilinan.

“Dahil mismong karanasan ko yan noong 2019 na kung ikaw ay isang kandidato na wala gaanong pondo, walang perang panggastos ng mga TV ads, at iba’t ibang kailangan natin sa kampanya ay talagang dehadong dehado (Because that was my exact experience last 2019 that if you are a candidate who has no funds, no money for TV ads, and other needs in the campaign, you are really at a disadvantage),” he added.

Candidates with the “war chest” and money, meanwhile, get elected despite not having the attributes of a rightful candidate, the founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law said.

Diokno wants a “system” wherein all candidates will have “equal airtime on TV.”

“Iyon yung isang bagay na dapat maayos nitong ating kongreso at pati Commission on Elections paano mo gawin na mas patas ang labanan pagdating sa halalan (That is one thing that Congress and the Commission on Elections should fix, how to make the elections fairer),” he said.

The veteran lawyer lamented that although social media helped candidates reach the voters, most of them still rely on radio and television.

In 2016, the poll body changed the implementing rules and regulations of the Fair Elections Act, allowing more airtime for national candidates or political parties.

Instead of the 120 minutes of television ads across all stations, the 2016 rule allowed national candidates or political parties to have 120 minutes of airtime in each television station.