Economic Cha-cha to keep self-regulation, editorial independence intact in ad industry--solon
At A Glance
- Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has allayed the fears of stakeholders in the advertising industry that the proposed economic Charter change (Cha-cha) could ultimately strip them of self-regulation and editorial independence.
Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez
Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has allayed the fears of stakeholders in the advertising industry that the proposed economic Charter change (Cha-cha) could ultimately strip them of self-regulation and editorial independence.
“We are focused on the ownership issue. There is no plan to disturb whatever internal arrangement existing in the ad industry like self-regulation. I will not support any proposal to change that,” Rodriguez said on Saturday, May 11.
He made the statement in the wake of concerns aired by stakeholders during the Senate hearing on the Charter amendment proposals last Thursday.
Rodriguez chairs the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments and is a proponent of the moves to amend the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
He said that under the Charter change (Cha-cha) resolutions, foreign ownership of advertising companies may be altered by Congress from the present 70 percent Filipino and 30 percent foreign.
On Thursday, Ad Standards Council legal counsel Rudolph Jularbal said foreign ownership would not be a problem as long as self-regulation in the local ad sector remains in place.
He said as long as self-regulation “is functional, regardless of the ownership of advertising agencies, content will be regulated effectively".
Some Senate witnesses in the hearing also raised concerns about editorial independence and advertisers dictating content.
Rodriguez said editorial independence would be left to the best judgment of ad agencies. “We will not interfere with editorial judgment,” he said.
As to the content of an advertisement, that matter is left to the discretion of both the advertiser and his ad agency, he said.
Meanwhile, the veteran solon from Mindanao disagreed with another Senate resource person that foreign ownership does not add value to an ad agency.
“The infusion of additional funds to a business organization, whether in the ad industry or any other sector of the economy, always adds value to that entity,” he said.
Rodriguez said technology transfer is another factor that would enhance the operation of such entity.
A third would be the availability of foreign human resource or expertise in case it is needed, he said.