Manila: As the big parties splurge on campaigning in the presidential elections, a senior Philippine lawmaker has called for reforms on political financing.

According to Senate President Franklin Drilon, political advertising is expected to increase in the coming days in the run up to the May 9, 2016 general elections.

“Campaigning today is very prohibitive. Prime A programmes on television, 30 seconds would cost you P997,000 (Dh76,701) just for 30 seconds of airtime. Post-prime A programme would cost you P831, 000 (Dh63,930) for 30 seconds,” he said.

Although the Commission on Elections only declared the campaign period officially open on Tuesday, 90 days before voting day, there had been a flurry of political advertising in the weeks before.

According to reports, even before the start of the campaign, some of the candidates were already spending up to P600 million (Dhs 46 million) just for advertisements on television.

“One of the many things that I would like to look at in the next Congress is the political party reforms,” Drilon said during a coffee shop forum in Manila on Wednesday.

“I have no solution, but certainly this is an area which we can debate on. I have no ready solution for this, I tell you, but we should start debating on this and see what kind of solution we can come up with,” he said.

The lawmaker said Congress is mulling options to even out the playing field including providing subsidies to political parties during elections.

“There is Political Party Reform Act which will allow subsidy to certain political parties, but I don’t think that it will be accepted by the public,” he said.

“On the other hand we must look for a solution to these outrageous expenditures that we are exposed to, if you desire to win,” he said.

“These political advertising rates are higher than the ordinary rates that would be charged to other commercial ads that you would have, that of Mcdonalds or Coca-Cola, or whatever you have. So this has become very prohibitive, and this has become very outrageous,” Drilon added.

There have been allegations in the past that the huge amount of spending involved every time a political exercise is held, such as elections, contribute to corruption.

“You know, at the very least, the Comelec should call these candidates and ask them, ‘Where did this money come from?’” he said.

While political campaigning by candidates has already filled the airwaves and their adverts are hogging primetime spots, television networks are raking up profits and are even hiking the cost of airtime.