Latest media spending of presidentiables out (1:34 p.m.)

MANILA -- Survey front-runners Liberal Party standard-bearer Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Nacionalista bet Senator Manuel "Manny" Villar are slugging it out to be the biggest media spender in the 2010 elections.

Based on the results presented by poll watchdog Libertas on Saturday, Villar led by spending P215 million from the period February 9 to March 18, followed by Aquino with P172 million, deposed President Joseph Estrada with P103 million, Senator Richard Gordon with P69 million, tele-evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva with P1.1 million and administration bet Gilbert Teodoro with P330,000.

Independent candidates Senator Jamby Madrigal, Nicanor Perlas and Ang Kapatiran bet JC de los Reyes have not spent a single centavo yet on television commercials.

The Omnibus Election Code requires presidential candidate to spend only P10 per voter or around P500 million.

Records from the Commission on Election (Comelec) said there are around 50 million voters this May.

Lawyer Roberto Cadiz, executive director of Libertas said most of the ad spots were on broadcast giants ABS-CBN Channel 2 and GMA 7, where both Villar and Aquino have almost consumed the 120-minute airtime limit on television for the entire campaign.

The data presented came from AGB Nielsen Media Research, Cadiz added. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)