This is in response to Janette Toral’s tag.
It’s quite noble to analyze the dynamics of an upcoming election despite already knowing how elections are usually played out in this country. It’s no big secret that those who decide the election are the misinformed masses who wouldn’t really care about issues. We would be lucky if these people would even give a token glance on issues before making up their minds on who to vote for. Politics is a simple game of persuasion wherein a box of liquor (during a supposed alcohol ban) and a few hundred pesos per voter could change the fates of candidates.
Cynicism has its place in elections because society has not properly empowered the voters. To a certain extent, society doesn’t exactly promote healthy debates and arguments to occur due to the Filipino concept of pakikisama (compromising to get along) and conformity. Aside from the Charter Change issue, is there any other big concept out there that is contentious and worth debating about? None! Because ALMOST all Filipino politicians are centrists. The only people who stick out are those who are rabidly leaning towards to the left like the party-list representatives from the Communist Party of the Philippines and the few bold and brave men like Ping Lacson and Bayani Fernando who choose to go against the grain and push for controversial bills regarding population control and sex education.
Everybody else stays in the middle. They simply try to weather the social judgments to hopefully gain the endorsements from various pulpits. The least offensive candidate always wins. For a people who loves to whine about the lack of change and how the status quo is wanting, Filipinos almost always go for least disagreeable candidate instead of going for the candidate with the strongest ideas to address certain issues. You can’t blame them though. There are no debates – there are no contentious points to launch substantial arguments from. Due to this void, the electorate has no choice but to simply go with something more accessible – the personality, affiliation and background of the candidates.
Deviance – whether ideological or otherwise — has no place in the political arena. Pre-election, opinions that would go against the prevailing intentions of the local parish would easily make a candidate unelectable. Post-election, this would lead to the alienation of that elected official. This aversion to deviance is of course a result of the influence of the various institutions that have stood in our country for so long.
In 2010, no candidate will say that he isn’t for the environment. No one will dare claim that education is unimportant and doesn’t warrant funding. No one will debate and I bet a shiny five peso coin that no one will say anything remotely substantial. It will be all glamor, glitz and sashaying all over again.
There are only three relevant issues that will decide the outcome of the 2010 polls:
1. Fooling the masses
Elections are won and lost on the basis of sincerity regarding poverty alleviation. All candidates woo the poor and try to win their hearts and minds (term used loosely). If you can prove that you were cousins with a laundry woman, your stock rises dramatically. Consider yourself elected!
2. Face Time!
Advertising is expensive so unless you’re willing to hemorrhage three hundred thousand pesos for a 30 second ad placement, you better be crafty and creative. Why not schedule your child’s baptismal or heck, your own wedding on the days leading to the election! Our classy journalistic sector will lap this up in no time and chalk it up as human interest. Anyone else betting on a Korina Sanchez – Mar Roxas nuptials on 2009?
3. MONEY!
Unless you’re a throwback to the hacienda era, you will need to raise oodles of money to get elected. How do you do this? Simple, just link up with any drug ring or gambling syndicate and you’ll get the funds that you need. It’s a perfect match. The syndicates get protection while you get non-taxable, untraceable campaign contributions. It’s definitely a win-win!
And you, fellow Filipinos, will love them to bits.
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- 2010 Philippine Elections: Important Issues, 2
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- Issues come 2010
- Philippines 2010 Elections
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yes, you’re right. that’s why it’s deviance, it’s against the norms of the society. the society is of course likely to vote for the conformist, it’s just that our norms are stupid. thanks to the church (although they’re not the only culprit).
Issues don’t matter. Our political system is so fucked up that now families are just fighting on who will get the biggest kickbacks. All you have are crooks after crooks running our country like their own tool to make them obscenely rich with OUR fucking money. What we need is a revolution to cleanse our system of these leeches Arroyos, De Venecias, Estradas, and their ilk. Any honest person will not last long. Either he/she will be corrupted or will be overthrown by the influential families soon enough. It’s true at the local level, it’s true at the national level. Corruption is a way of life and public office is one of the best way enrich oneself. What we need is a new system but that will not happen without a major revolution of any kind be it intellectual or even actual bloodshed. Someday soon maybe.
And let us not forget the catchy jingles they cook up.
I hope Bayani Fernando is sincere with his announcement to run for the President on 2010.
omit ‘the’. Hehe
Talking about “predictable elections”, how about the whole extravaganza on collaborating with celebrities as endorsers? Or whoever it is in the hotseat.
Jun Lozada? Willie Revillame? Jennylyn Mercado? Hehehe
Benj, I think Mar will be marrying Korina before 2008 ends based on my reliable sources. Mar told the media that he can’t wait to marry Korina and December 2008 would be too long to wait.
And honestly Benj, I was never paid for by nor dictated by Mar to blog about him. It’s my blog after all! It’s just that I’m very very inclined to politics since I was 7 years old and I thought of starting that blog last July 29, 2007 would be a great opening salvo for the 2010 elections. I’m very excited for it because it will be my first time to vote (I didn’t voted in the last SK elections) and Mrs. Arroyo would now exit. By telling the people that I am for Mar for President in 2010, they would realize that there should be an election in 2010 and Charter Change should not be an excuse to stop it.
I agree with kevin ray’s comment..Mar and Korina will get married soon(this year).. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.. anyway,it’s your opinion but i don’t think Mar and Korina’s marriage is a big deal or has something to do with 2010 presidential elections. Only people with malicious minds give a nega meaning on that.
^ Have it your way. LOL. GO MR PALENGKE! WOOHOO!
Where do we begin? How do we educate the voters?
The 2007 elections were not too kind on movie actors and celebrities. A lot of candidates who are popular actors and celebrities weren’t voted into power. Can this be seen as an indication that Filipino voters no longer rely on popularity alone? I hope so.
I have nothing against actors and celebrities who use their popularity to go into public service. I just hope that they do it because they really want to serve their constituents and I pray that they can really help improve our country.
Here’s a list of “popular” candidates who lost in the 2007 elections. I got this from the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform:
Manny Pacquiao (South Cotabato 1st congressional district)
Tito Sotto (senate), Cesar Montano (senate), Richard Gomez (senate), Mark Lapid (Pampanga governatorial), Arsenio Gadang (Cavite governatorial), Jimmy Yaokasin (Leyte governatorial), Christopher de Leon (Batangas vice-governatorial), Daniel Fernando (Bulacan vice-governatorial), Nadine Montenegro (Caloocan 1st congressional district), Ricardo Puno, Jr. (Muntinlupa 1st congressional district), Danilo Mesias (Leyte 1st congressional district), Jestoni Alarcon (Antipolo 2nd congressional district), and Angelika Jones (Laguna provincial board).