MANILA (UPDATED) - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will deduct senatorial candidate Risa Hontiveros' guesting on "Gandang Gabi Vice" (GGV) from her allowed advertising airtime.

"Not a possibility but certainty because they intended for it to be a TV ad," Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said Monday.

Jimenez said he has asked ABS-CBN to provide a copy of the March 17 episode of the show where Hontiveros was a guest.

He noted that the show displayed a disclaimer that the guesting was a paid political advertisement.

Jimenez explained that the Comelec does not bar radio and TV guestings of candidates but merely regulates them.

Comelec Resolution 9615 imposes an aggregate limit advertising time of 120 minutes for TV and 180 minutes for radio for national candidates during the official campaign period.

It also regulates the TV guestings of candidates. Only news and current affairs programs are exempted from this rule.

Jimenez said that he got reports of appearance of candidates in TV variety shows.

"[It] makes it simpler for us we still need a copy of that program because we need to know the number of minutes the candidate is on air. Kailangan pa rin malaman. We're expecting the network to give us a copy of the ad contract," he said.

Jimenez noted that this is the first time that a guesting on a variety show has been branded as political ad by any candidate.

He has also asked for the aired material of the TV guesting of Ernesto Maceda.

Jimenez earlier tweeted the producers of ABS-CBN's "GGV" and TV5's "Wowowillie" to submit the episodes wherein Team PNoy candidate Hontiveros and UNA's Maceda were guests.

Hontiveros was a guest on "GGV's" March 17 episode while Maceda was reportedly on "Wowowillie's" March 11 episode.