Cash-strapped Casiño turns to Internet

Teddy Casiño

DAVAO CITY—Makabayan senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño, who has publicly admitted he didn’t have enough money to buy television airtime, has turned to the Internet for his campaign.

In a statement during Wednesday’s YouTube launching of his campaign video, Casiño said he decided to use the Internet to take on the “Goliath commercials of the Liberal Party coalition (Team PNoy) and the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).”

Casiño also took a shot at President Aquino’s party for “front-loading its ads to circumvent the Comelec limits on TV and radio ads.”

In trying to illustrate how desperate he was for funds compared to other parties, Casiño said a “reliable source” had told him that from Jan. 1 to 21 alone, the LP’s budget for its ad campaign—which had aired even before the official campaign period started on Feb. 12—was P50 million.

He said the money should have been spent on projects that would benefit the people instead.

The Davao-born lawmaker, who gained prominence through his work with militant groups, said because he lacked funds, he was hoping that his campaign commercial—which came in the form of digital video—will be reposted by Internet users-supporters on their accounts with Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr or any website that can accommodate videos.

“We acknowledge the limitations of the Internet insofar as being an equalizer in the campaign was concerned but we want to maximize its potentials,” he said.

Casiño’s campaign video was produced by volunteer advertising professionals, whom he described as bearing the “spirit of people power.”

“My ad was made by the people and for the people, and we will tap our thousands of netizen supporters to help get the message across,” he said.

In the 34-second ad, titled “Teddy Casiño Para sa Senado: Karaniwang Tao, Panalo,” the militant lawmaker talked about change, such as bringing the voice of the common folk to the Senate by pushing for his land reform platform, lower prices, sufficient wages and national industrialization.

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Tags: 2013 elections , Internet , Liberal Party , Team PNoy , Teddy Casino , UNA , United Nationalist Alliance