Name Recall, The Folly in Philippine Elections

posted by Benjie Oliveros for bulatlat.com

What’s in a name? A lot, if we are talking about Philippine politics and elections. That is why candidates do commercials, ‘infomercials’, post their faces in billboards, posters and streamers, sing, dance, and do just about anything just to make the public remember their name.
It has always been an advantage if one is from a political family. Sen. Noynoy Aquino is hoping to ride on the goodwill of his parents, Cory and Ninoy, to get himself elected to Malacañang, so is his running mate Sen. Mar Roxas who also comes from a political family. Others like Sen. Manny Villar is spending on commercials to make his name stick to the public’s consciousness. Insidious are the candidates from the administration party like Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro and Local Government Sec. Ronaldo Puno, and also MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, who have been making use of their positions in government, as well as the national coffers, to make themselves visible.
This contest for name recall has been underpinning the personality politics that prevail in national elections, supported, of course, by guns, goons, and gold of political warlords, and massive fraud in the canvassing of votes. The sad thing is that the contest for name recall is not based on solid platforms and accomplishments but by sheer popularity, thus the engagement of showbiz personalities in politics. Indeed, the divide between politics and showbiz is very thin.

read more in bulatlat.com

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The Filipino voters has to be educated.  Media should take the bigger role in providing objective to the public the credentials of these candidates to guide them in choosing their future leaders.  The 2010 Presidential election is, once again, a big test to the Filipino electorate.

JonQBX