MANILA - A senator on Friday urged public officials to pull out all their "infomercials" or advertisements by the end of the month to avoid administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman.

"Pull out all those infomercials by the end of the month. If not, when I submit my committee report, I'll ask the Senate to make a recommendation to the Ombudsman to prosecute every Cabinet member who appears in an infomercial after the deadline," Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, head of the economic affairs committee, said during a hearing on Friday.

Santiago said that even if the hearing on premature campaigning has not been concluded, Cabinet members and other public officials who have appeared in infomercials should pull out of the commercials.

"In the meantime, we are humbly giving you free legal advice. You can continue with the infomercials, but please, take yourselves out...," she said.

The senator said infomercials with personal appearances of public officials are unlawful. She said the use of public funds and funds from friends of public officials are against the law.

The senator's admonition was directed at Vice President Noli de Castro, Health Secretary Francisco Duque, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) Chairman Efraim Genuino, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando, and Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, who were all present at the hearing on premature campaigning.

Other public officials who have also appeared in infomercials are Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, defense chief Gilbert Teodoro, Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Chairman Augusto Syjuco.

De Castro said his infomercial was funded by Pag-IBIG's corporate fund, and the agency spent P172 million in radio and TV ads since 2007. An earlier report by abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak showed Pag-IBIG has spent P500 million for de Castro's ads since 2007.

Duque said the health department has spent P32.4 million this year. Lapus said his department has spent P5.7 million from its national fund and P24.4 billion under the Adopt-A-School Program this year.

Genuino and Fernando said their agencies have spent P82 million and P5.8 million, respectively, for this year alone.

At the start of the hearing, Santiago said Teves informed her committee that his TV commercial was paid for by the Solar Sports Entertainment, while Teodoro disclosed that public funds were not used for his infomercials.

Pull out ad funds

Senator Loren Legarda suggested during the hearing that in the next hearing on the 2010 budget, the Senate should just outrightly erase proposed allocations for media advertisements of all government agencies.

Legarda said the tens of millions of pesos spent on TV, radio and print ads should instead be realigned to basic social services.

"Overused, abused or not utilized properly... Use for politicking by some," the senator said, referring to the millions of advertisement funds from the previously approved national budgets.

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr., who was also present at the hearing, said the executive branch will submit the 2010 budget proposal on August 26.

Santiago, meanwhile, said she was thinking of proposing the prohibition of secretaries and agency heads from appearing in infomercials.

Not having such a ban is a "standing invitation for an ambitious Cabinet member to project himself, instead of his office," she said.

Duque and Lapus, meanwhile, argued against Legarda's proposal to totally scrap their advertising budgets.

The health secretary said the proposal would be "dangerous to public health," while the education chief said their infomercial has been effective in generating donations for education.