Leading all the way (More than euphoria)

By Atty. Romeo V. Pefianco, Manila Bulletin (www.mb.com.ph)

The few advantages of Senator Noynoy’s campaign are too glaring to be ignored: 1) very low profile but highly effective nonetheless 2) totally obvious media bias in his favor 3) nearly zero budget for political ads and corny postures 4) influential and mainstream armies of volunteers trekking to his bandwagon and 5) patriotic and religious chants/ditties where people gather, to touch his skin and shirt, that also move the heart.

Deliberate choice

According to PR practitioners and veteran analysts the above show of support is not mere euphoria. It is both emotional and deliberate, signs of honest, lasting and sincere attachment to the man and for his cause.

Critics of Noynoy may do well, exceedingly well, if they stop calling him not qualified, not an impressive speaker, lacks charisma and expensive propaganda.

All men at Palace

Lately, Palace advisers told Noynoy: “Be a man!” Critics at coffee shops commented: At the Palace boys are like girls and girls are more than men, period.

The ‘mechanic’

Thousands of critics of Ramon Magsaysay referred to him as a passenger bus mechanic (at Try-Tran Co. where he eventually became manager); that he viewed the law of supply and demand as a piece of legislation that needed immediate repeal. But pollsters had the last laugh: Magsaysay was way ahead of Quirino by 60 percent to less than 40 percent for the president some three months before the November 10, 1953 elections.

Leading all the way

On election day Magsaysay had beaten the surveys: He won in all provinces, except Ilocos Sur, getting an unheard of 69 percent of the votes.

View(Magsaysay had studied at UP in 1927 and later graduated with an BS in Commerce from Jose Rizal College, now a university.)

Most people, the masses especially, don’t change candidates if they see one to their liking. They don’t like the smart-alecky pros with a long list of promises, or a repeat of their opponents’ pledges in all fields of endeavor. They don’t like veteran pols who mimick orators with long, repetitious speeches that nail nothing after the oratory.

Show of sincerity

They speak well of honest, sincere and smiling candidates. Years ago Clark Gable was an aggressive seller, promoter who used dubious methods in praise of things to come in The Huckster.

Then he met a truly sincere, lovely and sad girl who asked him to stop making lots of money by lying to people as buyers/customers. One day Gable stopped by a haberdashery and asked for a new tie. He was given ties costing 50, 25 or 10 dollars.

Gable’s choice: “I want a tie that looks sincere.” It took the store manager to find it. With his tie that looked sincere Clark Gable quit his job, threw his wallet into a river and started a new life by marrying Deborah Kerr.

Use of tax money

Most politicians and candidates often seen on TV are candidates of self-praise who probably use tax money to promote/sell themselves, their office and influence or take advantage of strategic highway curves to show billboards with their huge picture to advertise their so-called achievements funded with tax money.

In the last 40 years RP politics has become more sophisticated, thoroughly corrupt and shamelessly costly. No candidate for senator or congressman since 1987 could expect a small welcoming crowd without sending an advance party who would distribute cash and favors to local lowers, mostly local officials and their families.

Counting in public In April 1987 one candidate for senator had given P20,000 each to local candidates in two or three Western Visayas provinces. But one segurista local counted in public what was inside the envelope he received and shouted “exacto P20,000.” Voters could not stand his kind of shamelessness and turned against him.

Bidding

It is known to us all that incredible poverty (about 70 to 80 percent) in the countryside, especially in coastal barrios, voters are on the list of opposing candidates who have mastered the art of bidding for votes. The price may vary from P500 to P2,000 if the contest for mayor appears too close to call, so to speak.

The early birds who cast their votes between 8 a.m. and 12:30 noon live mostly in the poblacion, especially the merchant class, referred to as intelligent voters.

The young and educated voters don’t ask for favors and don’t give a hoot to politicians’ bola in the campaign. This is the most reliable class who can announce their choice fully and openly weeks or months before election day.

Hope

They can influence the final result of the election by their number alone and by showing that only leaders of known sincerity and honesty can change and lead us to relative progress and prosperity, not to “just manageable”

GDP the poor masses cannot eat.

The campaigners of Noynoy can offer hope, long lost to 92.2M Filipinos since the 1970s.

Even hope can make people realize that politicians can win or lose by failing to offer it on time.