By The Star Staff
The New Progressive Party (NPP), through its general secretary, attorney Hiram Torres Montalvo, filed a complaint Tuesday with the Office of the Electoral Comptroller (OCE by its initials in Spanish) against the billboard company ‘media’ and ‘so-and-so’ for so-called phantom advertising against the NPP.
“According to the definition established in Law 222-2011, as amended, known as the ‘Law for the Control of the Financing of Political Campaigns in Puerto Rico’, (bMedia) is a means of communication …” the complaint states. “These advertisements do not establish who promotes them, who pays for them, and who wants to influence voters, which is clearly violating the applicable laws.”
The complaint also states that “… all advertising agencies that provide advertising services, independent producers and all media outlets that provide services to political parties, candidates, aspirants and political action committees shall be required to submit monthly reports to the Office of the Electoral Comptroller, beginning with January of the election year until the last day of the month in which general elections are held, stating the costs of the services provided by them for advertisements for electoral purposes by the provisions of Article 7.003 of Law 222-2011.”
“In addition, advertising agencies, independent producers, and media outlets referred to in this paragraph shall be required to include in said reports the name, postal address, and identification number of any person who pays for the production costs of advertising for political parties, aspirants, candidates, political action committees, independent persons and groups,” the complaint says.
“Those who accuse us of corruption are the real corrupt ones,” Torres Montalvo said. “These guidelines are contrary to the law and the person who pays for them is as guilty as the entity that publishes them on its screens. The complaint demands that they be identified and that the people know who or what entities pay for this. Let the truth be known and we will go to the ultimate consequences. Likewise, we raise our voice to investigate whether any of the political campaigns, candidates or political parties are receiving donations through schemes like this in a coordinated, illegal manner. Likewise, if there is intervention by entities foreign to Puerto Rico in our electoral process.”
The complaint also requests that the OCE, “in compliance with the duties imposed by Law 222-2011, as amended, begin an investigation process in which: the advertisements identified in this complaint, which do not comply with Law 222-2011, as amended, are ceased from being published; The natural or legal person who paid for the advertisements broadcast be identified and disclosed, and an administrative fine be imposed on ‘so-and-so’ (whoever placed the advertisements) and on bMedia Group for each instance in which each advertisement was broadcast on their screens.”
It's interesting to hear the NPP up in arms seeking protection from the law when their political strategies are used in the same fashion, they have used them against others and reveal their schemes. When the NPP candidate to PR's governorship and her followers accuse other candidates, without any evidence to sustain their accusations, of being communists planning to overturn PR's government and turn it into an independent and sovereign country or the only ones responsible for the country's bankruptcy, there are no consequences; however, when a sentiment favored by a majority of Puerto Ricans is publicly expressed, they desperately chase the protection of the same laws that were overlooked by them.
Mr. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, a Puerto Rican…