Camille Villar as anchor of TV5's The Evening News may be a violation of KBP Broadcast Code Section 8

Martin Andanar's status update this morning had me blowing coffee out of my nose.

Martin said, "Camille Villar, our guest news anchor tonight (October 16) Live on TV5's TEN The Evening News at 11!"

This latest status update from Martin comes right after he announced that TV5's The Evening News would begin having guest news anchors.  It is, perhaps, a logical progression of sorts in a stream of never been done before innovations that began with its MTV-ish OBB and CBB, Lourd de Veyra inspired sound bed,  the coffee shop  look of its news studio, and its reversed news line up (with the least important news being reported first and the most important news being reported last).

I personally have to congratulate Senator Manny Villar for pursuing the Presidency in a manner that consistently challenges my ability to keep my food down in my gut where it belongs. 

Between Martin Cervantes screaming about how he was made to wait for PNRC Chairman Richard Gordon before he could distribute relief goods and Senator Manny Villar's relief operations, I think the latter is more despicable.

Do you think, that for the amount of money he is spending, he won't be asking for anything in return?

I didn't mind it so much when I heard Camille, Gilbert Remulla, and Adel Tamano hawking some event or other on Magic 89.9 where it seems Villar's presence is felt rather strongly.

But having a Presidential candidate's daughter as the anchor of a news program has prompted some people to ask if TEN has any idea of why this may be wrong.

Do you think people won't be asking if the JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY of the key movers behind TV5's TEN has been put up for sale?

I have friends at TV5 and I am raising this issue because I have a feeling that the better judgment that should guide a News Department in making decisions such as this was probably ignored.

Moreover, has TV5's TEN even considered what the KBP has to say about this? My view is that  having Camille Villar, a known campaigner for her father and being strongly identified with Senator Manny Villar,  as an anchor of a news program is tantamount to putting out propaganda for a candidate in the 2010 elections. Here is SECTION 8 of the 2007 KBP Broadcast code:

Article 8. POLITICAL PROPAGANDA
(Note: The provisions under this section have been adopted
from R.A. 9006 or the Fair Election Act.)

Sec.1. Equal opportunity in the access of airtime shall begiven to candidates and political parties. ( S )

Sec.2. No program or sponsor shall be allowed to manifestly favor or oppose any candidate or political party. However, the right to responsibly inform the public on significant issues and events and the duty to provide a forum for the discussion of such issues and events shall be respected.(S)

Sec.3. The amount of airtime allotted to political propaganda and the rates to be charged for it shall be consistent with existing laws. ( S )

Sec.4. When a person employed or engaged in any capacity in a station becomes a candidate or is employed or retained in any capacity by a candidate or political party, he shall go on leave for the duration of the election period or his employment may be terminated by the station. (G)

Sec.5. All broadcasts of election propaganda shall be identified as such and shall be identified through the words "paid for by" followed by the name of the candidate or political party for whom the election propaganda is being broadcast. If the broadcast is donated by the station, the words "airtime for this broadcast was provided free of charge by this station for…", followed by the name of the candidate or party, shall be used.(S)

Sec.6. All programs related to the campaign and the elections shall be subject to the relevant provisions of this Code and all Election Laws. ( S )

There is a reason why leading news programs have never ever done things that TV5 has done with the news format and I don't even know where to begin telling you about it.

Watch TV5's The Evening News tonight.