INFOGRAPHIC: What Can You Buy With P6.7 Billion Worth Of Political Ads?

How much have Rodrigo Duterte, Mar Roxas, Grace Poe, Jejomar Binay, and other candidates in the May 2016 elections spent on ads so far? Here’s a closer look.

Citing data from Nielsen Media, The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) has just released a report that reveals P7.75 billion worth of ads were published and aired between January 1, 2015 and January 31, 2016. About 90% of this amount included “advertiser” or “product” ads from parties and candidates in the May 2016 presidential elections, which totaled P6.7 billion spent on 105,000 ads aired on primetime TV programs and popular radio programs.

It makes one think of two questions, initially. First is, where do these candidates get that much money? And just when you start to think these politicians probably are the best moneysaving gurus, budgeting strategists, and investment tacticians in the land, they give the public a vague reply: that these campaign funds are all donations from “unnamed sponsors.”

The second question that hits you is: “P6.7 billion? What can I buy with such a dizzying amount?”

Well, here’s what.