Filipino Voting Pattern

THE CAMPAIGN First World techniques, Third World fit The Philippines parts state-of-the-art range techniques, plainly its choices argon taking place in a policy- do culture that is pre-modern and oriented toward the family. BY LUZ RIMBAN SATURDAY, JANUARY 3RD, 2004 Philippine politicians use the latest sweat techniques, but salve go for upon choosers as mendi kindlets. advertizementguru Reli German tells the story of the snip he was tapped to produce commercials and jingles for thusly scene Ferdinand Marcoss 1965 electric chairial bid.The scat was such(prenominal) of a family venture with no less than Marcoss wife Imelda herself directing the troops. She would drop by Germans baron to look over crusade corporals and listen to the jingles organismness prep argond for her saves execute. It was to a greater extent of Imelda that we were dealing with directly for the fight in 1965, German rec eithers. One night Imelda summ mavind German and his produc tion group to the Marcos home in San Juan, whither they were led to her bedroom, which had a closet total of shoeboxes.The group, a team of dutyal advertising bulk, did non k at a time exactly what they were doing in Imeldas boudoir, but the mystery was soon snitched. German remembers that she took three shoeboxes and the boxes were offered to us, and they were sound of m one and only(a)y With that, the charge up production team was paid, and paid sink somewhatly. Germans story does not further provide insights on the separate uses Imelda make of her shoes (or, much(prenominal) than precisely, the boxes they had fix in).It excessively tells us that advertising professionals had been refer in Philippine preference take the fields as far back as 1965, when radio was r individuallying its peak and idiot box, besides beginning to make a dent in Filipinos consciousness. Then and direct, however, professionals worry German ar relegated to the background, occ ult members of the movement team who are traditionally composed of the johndidates trusted family members. Campaign professionals, though, break really been well-nigh longer than that.Soon aft(prenominal) the United States introduced elections in the Philippines, the countrys former colonizer in manage manner exported to the islands U. S. -style electioneering. This included the use of the mass media to create and manipulate humans images, the hiring of humankind relations and advertising professionals, and later, the employment of sophisticated tools like hunt bring down instructk and polling. Candidates like Manuel Quezon, Ramon Mag vocalisesay, and Ferdinand Marcos were sold to voter turnoutrs partly through and through images crafted by experts and peddled to the macrocosm through newspapers, radio, and later, television.At least in stipulations of elections, the Philippines is not the laggard of Asia, but perchance the set-back country in the vicinity that has mastered the use of first-world election techniques. The first state of librateal-level Philippine elections were held in 1907. Photo consecrate downs voters reading campaign posters issued for that election. but it isnt easy applying first-world election know-how to a third-world policy-making setting. Despite what bm to be advanced campaign methods, the Philippines is still staple fiberally a feudalistic participation where the family lords over policy-making life.And with the change of political parties alongside the weakening of other institutions in familiarity the family has dwelled the countrys basic political organization. This feudal, family-oriented base is one of the circumstanceors that stunts the growth of political-campaign professionals. Four decades afterwards(prenominal) Imelda Marcos successfully steered her husband to power, Philippine campaigns are still far from being well-oiled political projects authorise by professionals. In the Philippine setting, a political campaign mechanism especially one designed for a presidential puzzle forwarddidate can be a complex structure with various compartmentalized sub-groupings.The professionals would be embedded somewhere within, a silent and unknow minority who bias to tacticians and campaign operators. These tacticians and operators, in turn, are usually members and friends of a political clan. It isnt altogether surprising that a campaign can still look like a mom-and-pop affair with the prognosiss wife as campaign manager, the husband a fundraiser, and all sorts of hangers-on filling the backroom. There is a difference in this years election, however. It is the first presidential election in decades in which political advertisements go away(predicate) be allowed.It is the first time that the power of media in general and television in particular whitethorn determine who wins. At no other time in the nations history allow for prospects be sold like strap and toothpaste because 40 million voters give be relying on little more than visibility and image to make their choices. More than ever before, campaigners and their campaign workries leave now acquire to use the media specialists, campaign managers, and assorted professionals to make themselves known to the existence, and through any(prenominal) operator available.By passing the law lifting the ban on political advertisements, Congress was in fact utter thithers another(prenominal) way of winning, says political advisor Malou Tiquia. And part of the message to chances whitethorn be that there could be more room for the pros. For some candidates, this whitethorn be a welcome development, since it may mean more singing campaigns, i. e. more votes. merely it may not necessarily be severe news for the public. As U. S. political scientist Dan Nimmo points come out in his book,The political Persuaders, hiring professionals may fair mean more sophisticated manipulation. Wi thout question, says Nimmo, the new technology introduces not only the possibility but indeed the likelihood of clayatic fancy in electoral politics. More and more, candidates give be seen in images and settings that do not really reflect who they really are and what they are discharge to do erstwhile elected to office. With more professional sleight of hand at extend, the public may concur a harder time distinguishing fact from fiction, especially when they remain unaware that experts now concord more say in the show. IN THEso-called mature democracies of the West, there are experts for each task in a campaign.In the United States, the election industry is enormous, work by a wide range of specialists including campaign managers, political consultants, public relations muckle, speechwriters, audio-visual experts, and fundraisers. They operate by a set of rules and design campaign strategies based on scientifically obtained data provided by another member of that growi ng industry the profession of campaign research that includes not only pollsters but in like manner psychologists and behavioral experts. President Quezon addresses a crowd. That is not the depicted object in the Philippines. For starters, there are very few such professionals in the country.For example, there are only two or three reckon independent polling agencies in the Philippines. Image specialists, political consultants, and campaign managers are similarly hard to find. Two years ago, an organization called the Association of Political Consultants of Asia was formed, pitch together political technicians aiming to transform political consultancy and campaigning from craft to science. Still, quips one political consultant Its easier to find a cardiologist who can do open heart surgery than to find a life-threatening spin master. That is partly why families and friends remain the captains of Philippine political campaigns.Fernando Poe younger s campaign machinery, f or instance, is packed with his siblings and supporters in the entertainment world. Brother Conrad Poe handles logistics, sis Elizabeth Poe is the official scheduler, while erstwhile comedian and Senator Tito Sotto is the campaign manager. Even actors Rez Cortes and Richard Gomez ca-ca been assigned parts to play in the campaign, as has Poes covey of stuntmen-friends who dabble as spokespersons, rallyists, and eve act as Poes hostage cor take in. On that point, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo isnt far shadower. Her brother Diosdado Buboy Macapagal Jr. s her campaign manager and fundraiser. First Gentleman Mike Arroyo is in the buddy-buddy of her campaign, too, level off up if just last year, he had gotten embroiled in a scandal that portrayed him as using an alias to stash away millions of pesos of surplus campaign funds from his wifes 1998 vice-presidential bid. Of take to the woods, a family-run campaign does not necessarily translate into an inefficient and ineffectiv e venture. The nearly politically experienced clans have even elevated political campaigning to an art, and have over time mastered how to best maximize manpower, resources, and connections.Elite families are especially skilled at this, putting the charismatic and media-savvy members at the frontlines, depute the crafty and the cunning to the management side, and mobilizing the clan and its network for other tasks in the campaign, including recruiting campaigners, poll watchers, goons, bodyguards even hitmen, if need be. But with this election promising more pros, campaigns are bound to be slicker than ever. There is, for instance, the advertising delegacy Campaigns and Grey and its stable of image specialists working for presidential candidate Raul Roco.There give also be groups like Tiquias Publicus Ltd. , a political consultancy firmly that provides campaign services to senatorial and local anesthetic candidates. There is even the television production team TAPE Productions which puts out programs like the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga acting as image makers for Fernando Poe Jr. Most of these professionals, though, remain in the background. Its an underground industry- close of these people male parentt widen calling cards, take for grantedt introduce themselves, dont appear at press conferences, dont advertise their services, says a political consultant. They get hired by referral and by word of mouth. The really full(a) ones are overloaded with clients and forced to turn down others. For this article, they refused to be identified. You let the spotlight fall only on your principal, this political consultant adds. another(prenominal) one says, The pros are very much relegated to the backroom, or they dont have the stature to face the public. Undocumented experts, is how yet another political consultant describes himself and his peers. The secrecy is understandable.Most of them have mean solar day jobs, either as reporters, columnists, b usinessmen, advertising executives, legislative round, or civil servants. Elections and political campaigns dont come that often and cannot be a stable source of livelihood, which is why most political professionals consider themselves political sacadas or sharecroppers whose work is seasonal. Besides, in the professions where they officially belong, moonlighting for politicians is an impregnable taboo. Journalists working as public relations practitioners or political consultants would be violating the rules on independence, impartiality, and conflict of gratify.Some advertising agencies even insist that they have no history or record of involvement in political campaigns. withal as far back as 1965, the presidential campaign was already a battle of the ad agency executives. Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos display their affection for each other during their heyday. For that particular campaign, adman Billy Esposo writes in a new column, Marcos hired Proctor and Gambles creativ e team, which was composed of, among others, Miniong Ordonez, now of Jimenez Basic Advertising. Reli German was part of that team.On the other side of the fence, says Esposo, Diosdado Macapagals image team was headed by the late Fenny Hechanova, himself a former adman from a pioneering agency called Philprom. When Marcos ran for reelection four years later, Esposo continues, he got Greg Garcia, who eventually headed the prominent ad agency Hemisphere-king of beasts Burnett. Greg Garcia, now retired but still part owner of Leo Burnett, is the chief image handler of Senator Panfilo Lacson. The reticence of more professionals in admitting their political work stems from the stigma it apparently carries. Political campaigning is often viewed as an illicit undertaking.Players are apprehendd to ink deals and engage in disgusting tricks and special operations that can go from wooing special interest groups and esteeming up a candidates position on issues, to peddling propaganda, get the media, and negotiating for votes with local political party lapseers. But much of the severeness elevate suffered by political professionals has also been blamed on Marcos. later he declared martial law in 1972 and abolished elections, the political pros skills and talents were put to use only to promote his Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (the only active political party at that time) or push his New Society.It was a situation that didnt allow skilled political organizers to thrive and develop a profession called campaign management or political consultancy. Although the Development Academy of the Philippines and the incision of Interior and Local Government became training grounds where political managers could perfect their skills managing political organizations, all their work was still for Marcoss benefit. The only other option was to escape the system and print over to activist organizations or the underground Left, such as the National Democratic Front (NDF) or the Commun ist Party of the Philippines (CPP).Todays top party and campaign people, in fact, trace their roots to these diverse beginnings Lakass Gabriel Claudio and Ronaldo Puno were products of the DILG, while Horacio Boy Morales and Rigoberto Tiglao, came from the left-hand(a)ist movement. PERHAPSthe unsuspecting public should be thankful that the country still has a relatively tiny confederation of campaign management experts, resulting in often- topsy-turvy campaigns that either reveal more than the candidate wants the public to know, or reveal so little that the voters are left annoyed.In truth, present Philippine campaigns are quite like those in the United States were more than 100 years ago. In The Political Persuaders, which was published in 1970, Nimmo writes, A century ago, candidates relied on their wits, their friends, and a few trusted allies to mount a campaign for office. Few men specialized in selling political advice. The campaign specialists of that day were primarily par ty politicians. Joseph Estrada is mobbed by adoring crowds during his 1998 campaign. According to Nimmo, the campaign management industry is a direct descendant of the public-relations profession that became commonplace in the 1920s. That was when U. S. capitalists were under attack by consumers who were reading in newspapers active unsavory business practices. Countering such criticism required a specialist who could proclaim the exhaustively side of U. S. industry. Thus was born the PR agent. In the process, Nimmo continues, these PR people made increasingly adroit use of the means of mass communication the result was the burgeoning field of mass advertising. It would not be long before public relations and mass advertising would cross over to the world of politics, especially with the rise of television, and give birth to a profession that proclaims the good side of political candidates. Nimmo recounts that election campaigns soon became a battle for public exposure. That battle, however, hasnt been easily fought and won. Mevery other things manage for the voters attention, and candidates need people who are masters not only at constructing the candidates message and image, but also at displace these in the most effective way that get out make full use of manpower, time, and limited resources.In short, campaigns need strategies. The U. S. -trained Tiquia, formerly a legislative staff member in the Philippine and U. S. Congresses, defines the ingredients that make for a good campaign strategy. These are listed in a book entitled Campaign political relation defining the ballot population being targeted, creating the message to be communicated, managing resources, timing, and tactics. tactical maneuver include direct voter contact such as campaign events, rallies, and even door-to-door campaigning, and indirect tactics like media advertisements, billboards, and campaign paraphernalia.Having a professional campaign team to implement the strategy is another necessity. The team is supposed to put order into the traditionally topsy-turvy exercises called campaigns. In this country, however, third-world realities can get in the way. For instance, Tiquia says, there are times when a candidate hires a professional campaign team that may find itself shock with family members, or with yet another professional team working for the akin politician. Problems like these only slow down the campaign.Campaign Politics also advises politicians to maculation their moves way in advance, get their hands on the best people before the competition beats them to it, and plan carefully how resources are to be spent. But theres that manana habit of the Filipino-his penchant for not readiness ahead and waiting till the last minute-which can wreak slaughter on the campaign in m whatsoever ways. As examples, Tiquia cites candidates who are buying TV spots only now, and are finding out that there are none available because an enterprising agency had purchased all that was left months ago.It is now selling these on the secondary market at much higher rate. There were, however, a few who bought spots early, and at rates that were far, far cheaper. Among the more visible swift-footed ones are presidential candidate Raul Roco and Panfilo Lacson, whose ads had been aerate regularly since the campaign started, and senatorial candidate Mar Roxas. As if run in such a third-world conditions werent enough, political professionals in the Philippines also have to deal with obsessive-compulsive candidates who try to control the campaign every step of the way.Among the cardinal rules for campaigns, says one of the political consultants interviewed for this piece, is that a candidate cannot turn over and campaign at the resembling time a candidate shouldnt handle his or her own campaign. But most candidates refuse to block things to the experts. Despite the enormity of her duties as president and candidate, Gloria Arroyo still finds wh ere her campaigns sorties will go, political consultants say. Even members of her campaign still cannot fathom why she chose to launch her presidential bid in the hills of Cavinti, Laguna.Observers could only guess thatfeng shuimight have had something to do with it taking the team to high ground probably bodes good luck, they give tongue to. But after Cavinti, the president went north, leaving observers still seek to discern a pattern in her campaigning if there was really any at all. One consultant, though, says, Look at the route she has interpreted, and youll see that its like shes drawing the number eight on the map-she goes up, she goes down, forward, then backward. Poe is said to be no different, at least as far as his political rallies are concerned. Remember that hes a celluloid director, so he wants to have a say in how his rallies are produced, says a political professional. But the king of Philippine movies is also a political neophyte, which has unfortunately resul ted in Poe being kept in an schmaltzy world where everything is stage-managed. Hence, every interview, every appearance has to be scripted. And having written lines for scripts, Poe tends to have a say in how his campaign is managed. The best candidate surrenders himself to his handlers, says another political consultant. And if there was one who embodied this, it was Joseph Erap Estrada in 1998. Erap was a good follower in the sense that when you said the schedule was like this, even if it was so hot or he was already dead tired, he would still follow the schedule to the letter, says Lito Banayo, who was on Estradas 1998 campaign team, and is now on Lacsons. Thats why he was a joy to handle. mayhap because he was an actor, he was used to having a call time, he had to be on the set at this certain time. He (carried that) discipline in the campaign. But another plus factor in the Estrada campaign was its near-perfect machinery, which was ascribable to a generous influx of funds.Am ple funds and resources make a thumping part of a successful campaign. Reli German even says, The three most important things (in a campaign) are money, money, and money. The Estrada campaign in 1998 had that in huge quantities. Recalls Banayo There were really a serving of people who helped in that campaign by way of cash as well as material donations. A feature of Estradas campaign sorties, for instance, were the motorcades and caravans where Estrada would appear beside his showbiz friends Poe and Nora Aunor, and they would then be sick candies to the crowd.Banayo says they never ran out of candies because the supplies just kept coming. Banayo explains the symbiotic relationship of campaign elements Once the perception or image of a candidate improves, the inspect results become stacked in his or her favor, the numbers go up, the resources will pour in accordingly. Making the candidate more visible, his image more winnable, translates into more campaign contributors. Tradit ionally, political consultants say, donors such as Filipino-Chinese businesspeople who put in large sums of money into election campaign, initially give adequate amounts to all candidates.The money reportedly starts getting big only by April, when donors have a clearer mentation who among the candidates is pulling away from the pack, and likely to lead the race. But Tiquia laments how fundraising, like the other aspects, remains a hidden but very important facet of Philippine campaigns. Candidates do not, in the course of the campaign, reveal who their funders are, and methods for raising funds are not always to a higher place board. In the United States, Tiquia notes, fundraising is a profession.Professional fundraisers methods include organizing events or dinners, or send out mail asking supporters to contribute to the campaign kitty. There are limits to the amounts supporters can donate. In this country, it is the field of contributors that is limited. The money comes mostly from Filipino-Chinese businesspeople the bigger players are the likes of Lucio Tan and Eduardo Cojuangco, whose hearts, minds, and pocket the candidates have to compete for. In exchange, candidates agreement them the moon, the stars, and even a piece of the economy.And now to lure them and the voters candidates are tapping political professionals. The irony is that takes a lot of money as well. Nimmo notes, The professionals are for hire, but at very high prices. Fewer and fewer politicians can put up with the costs of candidacy. In an age when less affluent members of society are already disillusioned with a political arrangement which they perceive are shutting them out, it will but produce harmony to call for that they play by the rules of an electoral game they cannot afford to enter. bug http//pcij. org/stories/first-world-techniques-third-world-setting/ Voters Harder To loll With Empty Promises by Kathleen A. Martin, ABS-CBNnews. com Posted at 01/17/2013 1122 AM Updat ed as of 01/17/2013 1122 AM MANILA, Philippines draw a bead on politicians will need more than a catchy jingle and an vacant promise to capture the hearts of Filipino masses, advertisers said. Yoly Ong, group chairperson at Campaigns and Grey, said that based on various focus group discussions, Filipinos are more selective when voting for candidates. They (the masses) rattling say, peke yan e, because the promises are different from what the politicians actually do, Ong told ANCs Inside Business. In fact, Ive come to the conclusion that its harder to fool the masses today, Ong continued. Ong is behind President Benigno Aquino IIIs successful campaign in 2010, and the brains behind the catchy Pag walang corrupt, walang mahirap slogan. They (Filipino voters) have very different behaviors toward candidates. For presidential candidates, they dont want the jingles. What they want to know is what the guy cable is loss to do to improve their quality of life, Ong said. But for the sena torial candidates, I guess its more of remembering who to vote for because theres 12 people you need to choose, Ong noted. Ong believes that for the national elections, the air war or the television and radio will be the primary venues for warring candidates. But local candidates such as congressmen and mayors will still need to battle it out retail-elections style, or going from house to house. Consultant Greg Garcia concurs with Ong, but stressed the role of television in political campaigns has dramatically changed over the years. If youre not on TV, dont even work out slightly running for national office because the penetration of TV is just fantastic, Garcia said. I always advise clients that 80% of their money should go into media, and 80% of that 80% should go to television. Television is the only way to communicate to as many people as you can in the shortest amount of time, he added. Garcia is the man behind Vice President Jejomar Binays successful 2010 bid. Garcia said B inays account of Ganito kami sa Makati, sana ganito din sa buong bayan was the secret behind the vice presidents win. The campaign for the vice president was really right on and I recover every candidate must have a narrative to win, Garcia said. Its not just astir(predicate) name recall, whats important is recalling the candidates narrative, he stressed. Source http//www. abs-cbnnews. com/-depth/01/17/13/voters-harder-fool-empty-promises Philippine Elections Will Stop Being A Sham When Voters Wisen Up By Ilda, November 9, 2012 Poor Filipinos. We can only stand back and watch in awe at how the Americans conduct their successful Presidential election.Less than a day after the US Presidential election, the winner could be declared without a hitch and without much contention from the losing candidate. Months of campaigning from both candidates come to an disjointed halt as soon as the winner is announced. It is back to work for everyone in the White House. The ease with which the U S election sailed by so smoothly is not even because they have a computerized voting system. For many decades, US elections have always come and gone with hardly any drama. Its just another walk in the park for people who follow a system that works.In relative terms, theres hardly any cheating that would cause the sorts of delays that could put entire institutions in doubt. In contrast, even the Philippines very first computerized election in 2010 was fraught with allegations of dishonest activities as reported by some of the members of the local and international community who participated and observed the election. As mentioned in my previous article immediately after the 2010 election, foreign observers concluded that there was massive cheating involved in the first ever- automatize Presidential election.Apart from the problems encountered with the machines, there were other elements whose presence was questionable considering they should not have been in the polling stations in the first place. Observers witnessed a chaotic scene with strong soldiers presence and lots of instances of intimidation in and around the polling stations. One international observer who was assigned at the Pampanga and Tarlac region even specifically mentioned that intimidation was rampant in Hacienda Luisita, the hometown of President Benigno Simeon BS Aquino.These were observations made by away(p)rs who are completely unbiased. It is incomprehensible why our public officials allow these things to happen. This is why until now there are still some people who question the legitimacy of President BS Aquinos win. The undermentioned is a summary of their observation all throughout the country serious-minded and systematic irregularities Vote buying People lining up outside the candidates house waiting to receive cash or goods There was no privacy in the polling stations People could see what the voter is writing The ballot sheet could not be folded to pass across the inform ation There were voters who were not stamped with indelible ink There were voters who were stamped with ink before voting There were people taking pictures and videos of voters for intimidation purposes practice of law and military presence was strong. Despite reports of massive election fraud, majority of Filipinos dont seem inclined to do or dont even want to know anything about them. The Commissions on Elections (Comelec) and President BS Aquinos media cohorts were quick to declare the election a success.They wanted everyone to think that the first automated voting system delivered as expected and that Aquinos win was a decisive one. Unfortunately, we will never know the truth. Filipinos will always be in the dark as to what truly happened because they chose to trim back boring details. Filipinos have this tendency to just listen to what the Philippine media is telling them. The Filipino peoples preference for turning a artifice eye to impropriety is whats preventing our country from moving forward. It is turning the Philippines into a nation of cheaters.The irony is that we cry foul after a toughened deed is done but we ignore the deed as it transpires. It seems we dont want the inconvenience of having to deal with the fallout of reporting a crime in progress. We dont even have aegis for whistleblowers. Instead of commending people for their bravery in coming forward, Filipinos turn against the whistleblowers, making them look like they are making mountains out of molehills. People who are seen supporting the whistleblowers are considered sore losers. This discourages people from doing the right thing.Vigilance against crime is what will actually foster an environment of trust in our society. If we know that iniquitous activities are not tolerated, we can be assured that people will be honest with their day-to-day activities. Sadly, we shun people who go out on a limb to expose corruption or any form of malpractice, but what we need to do is to help promote a society in which it is possible to speak out without reprisal about corruption, dangers to the public and environment, and other vital companionable issues. Until we change the way we think and do things collectively as a people, we will never have a smooth election like the Americans.Here are some of the lessons I versed during the 2010 election that could help us in the 2013 Senatorial election and even the 2016 Presidential election 1. Campaign computer programs No one comes up with a credible platform during elections because voters dont care about platforms. They cared about Noynoys love life and what he does in his spare time. Voters were also smitten with the Aquino bequest and are convinced that Noynoy will continue whatever it is they think that Ninoy or Cory could have achieved but for whatever reason did not. The voters dont even have a clue what a platform is.You have to wonder now how they plan to evaluate how Noynoy sticks to his campaign promises du ring his term of office. Lesson learned Most Filipino voters are star-struck ignoramuses. If you want to run for the government in 2016, get an image makeover or try to appear good and humble. 2. Surveys and Polling firms Some Filipinos were dumb enough to think that if a candidate is universal, it means that he should be voted in as president. The fact of the bet is, candidates with a lot funds can hire polling firms and publish reports when it is prosperous to them.It was also reported that polling firms conducting the surveys in 2010 were closely linked to the presidential candidate leading the polls. Likewise, despite the number of candidates allowed to run, people were actually just choosing mingled with two candidates. Lesson learned Next election, call for more transparency around poll survey questionnaires clamor for more polling firms to conduct surveys and be wakeful and critical of Medias interpretation of the poll results. 3. Media Bias Noynoy Aquino was given more exposure by prominent media outlets like thePhilippine Daily Inquirerduring the campaign period.It didnt matter how trivial the news was Noynoy Aquino was always on the front page. Broadcast networks such as ABS-CBN also helped expose Noynoy to the masa through shows that flagged the Aquino Legacy. Lesson learned Media outlets owned and operated by members of the Philippine oligarchy will give more exposure to whoever presidential candidate offers concessions they can benefit from. 4. Religious concedements A week before Election Day, the leader of Iglesia ni Cristo announced that they will be endorsing presidential candidate Noynoy Aquino.It has been said that this religious group actually waits for the last minute before announcing their endorsement because they want to ensure that whoever they endorse actually wins presumably with the aim of making a few deals with the president once in office. It was also said that Noynoys party was on the Q.T. courting that leaders guarante e that the INC votes will be in their favor. Lesson learned The endorsement of religious leaders depends on which candidate is popular religious leaders can make or break a presidential aspirant Filipinos will vote for whoever their religious leaders instruct them to vote for. . Election Day thugs and vote buying It seems that all of the higher up exercise with the possible exception of item number four will have no bearing on Election Day to the majority of voters because of the presence of thugs in the polling stations. As previously mentioned, police and military force play who have no business being in polling stations and who are under the payroll of candidates, hang around to intimidate voters. If the Police and the military themselves are involved in this illegal behavior, to whom can the voters report the stultification to?The illegal activity called vote buying involves the buyer and the seller. They both are accountable for their actions. In this case, both parties wont be ordain to report each other because they both benefit from the activity. Unfortunately, the voter who sells his vote will only benefit in the short term. Lesson learned As long as irregularities like this happens on Election Day, any efforts at educating the voters will just go down the drain. 6. Automated Machines It turns out that automated machines are not foolproof.Reports abound of machines malfunctioning, machines found kept in somebodys shed, the discrepancies in time lapsed, and allegations of malicious software installed in the machine itself. Lesson learned Filipinos cannot be trusted with both manual and automated election. Filipinos are very resourceful at finding a way to cheat. Lastly, here is the bottom-line Filipinos are in conclusion to blame for allowing fraudulent activities to happen. Politicians will keep trying to get away with cheating but it is up to us to decide if we will let them. Source http//getrealphilippines. om/blog/2012/11/philippine-elections-w ill-stop-being-a-sham-when-voters-wisen-up/ 2013 Mix-And-Match Voting ByRamon Casiple, Mon, Jan 7, 2013 The weak political party system in the Philippines can be seen in the way voters will vote in the 2013 national and local elections. A cursory study of the voting patterns in the past elections showed that voters vote for a candidate on various grounds, among them their personal relationship to the candidate, a candidates popularity (not necessarily in politics), endorsement by respected persons, and, of course, what the candidate stands for in relation to voters own.Nowhere in this list is a voters recognition of the candidates political party platform and program. The candidate, in this sense, sells himself, not the party. A tacit recognition of this can be seen in the way candidates and political parties present themselves to the voters. In streamers and billboards, the face and name of the candidate stands out compared to the party. Even in the party-list systemwhere the party -list groups are the ones to be electedit has become more advantageous to present faces of their nominees in sum total to the group names.The result is mix-and-match voting by individual voters. Rarely do they vote straight for a partys candidates. Source http//ph. news. yahoo. com/blogs/community roles/2013-mix-and-match-voting-130754846. hypertext mark-up language Everything I Need To Know About Improving The Outcome Of Philippine Elections I Learned In Kindergarten By benign0, February 25, 2013 Campaign platforms Youd think that the call for platforms is so new this year considering how much of the mainstream has now taken up the cudgels of beating this belief into the tiny skulls of the Filipino voters.Yet only just four years ago, the idea of demanding platforms from candidates making their pitch to voters was so exotic. So exotic it was that Iwrote a pieceback in mid-2009 outlining the basic how-tos of developing a campaign platform. As evident in what I wrote there, If we are to expect Filipinos to courageously rally around a serious effort to become a better country in the foreseeable future, it would help to see a leader who has it clear in his or her mind how to get us from A to B. it is obvious that the concept back then was quite new.The call for platforms rose to a increase as the presidential campaign leading to the 2010 elections marched on. But as it became more apparent that the then front-running candidate, Benigno Simeon BS Aquino III lacked one, had no inclination of producing one, and was joyous enough to run entirely on the back of his family pedigree, many folks who had by then drank enough of BS Aquinos Yellowist Kool Aid were loudly extolling the irrelevance of revealing clear governance platforms during an election campaign.Instead, what to them was BS Aquinos qualification to lead the country was hisperceivedhonesty, integrity, and lack of a data track record of corrupt practices. Funny how the most important lessons are lea rnt after the disaster had already wrought havoc. BS Aquino is now President of the Philippines and the very same bozos who thought platforms were notthatimportant are now parroting what we had been saying back in 2009. Voter educationIn the lead up to and then in the aftermath of the 1986 EDSA people power revolution, the idea that in granting immunity lies the singular samara to Philippine prosperity became deeply-ingrained in the Filipino psyche. It was all about freedom, and a blanket of demagoguery built around this simples message descended upon and enveloped the Philippine National Debate in the succeeding 27 years. The Vote the freedom to choose ones leaders guaranteed that therightones would be elevated to office as the prevailing intellection went.This was, the activists insisted, the power that the Filipino people regained after the 1986 revolution. But then as one bozo after another got elected into office since 1986, it became quite clear that the erstwhile thought leaders of the time scarce gave Filipino voters too much credit. It turns out they were really not that voguish after all. Freedom in the hands of the Filipino voter was like a blowtorch in the hands of a two-year-old. And so the idea of educating Filipino voters came about.The thing with voter education is that it is really not that complicated. It comes down to something most normal people learned in kindergarten that we are ultimately all accountable to ourselves for the decisions we made in the past. In a society renowned for a collective faculty for thinking that is stunted by amnesia and voodoo logic, voter education should start with a re-visit of these kindergarten basics that being accountable as a voter encompasses a system of three key acts of responsibility (a) Select the right leaders b) part the system to hold them accountable and, (c) Hold ourselves accountable for the quality of the leaders we choose using the system. A lot of the focus of this years voter educa tion activist fad is on just the first one,selecting the right leaders. The harder part of the equation keeping politicians on their toesin amid electionsis where therealdeal lies. Unfortunately Filipinos are simply not up to delivering their part of the deal in amongst fiestas. And so politicians gravitate to the same old buffoonery Grandstanding politiciansThe reason Filipino politicians are so at liberty to make big, lofty, colourful, noisy, buthollowpromises during election campaigns is because the Filipino voter simply drops the ball once the fiesta is over. Because Filipino voters simply analyse touse the system to hold them accountableas a matter of routine in between elections and utterly lack an ethic of holding themselves accountable for the quality of the leaders they chooseduring those fiestas, Philippine politics is a con mans wet dream. You only need a lousy product and a million suckers to make a lot of money in business.And Philippine politics is, indeed, good bu siness. And so we come to The role of social media in Philippine politics In a recently-concluded convention that saw one of the current crop of thought leaders after another pontificate about what such akewwwlllthing social media is, we learned that social media is unprecedented in the way it breaks traditional commuinication barriers serves as a platform for unfiltered egalitarian dialogue elevates political discourse by providing a more inclusive discussion community and, prompts and demands quick resolution from its participants.Yadda, yadda, yadda. In short (cutting through all the fad jargon), social mediatransmitsandamplifiesthe voice of the people at an unprecedented scale and efficiency so that every schmoe and her dog has a crack at the proverbial bullhorn once wielded by only the most powerful and influential people. Sounds nice on paper. The thing with participating in social media chatter is that it is really a form of high-tech Chinese whispers. The Twitter ret weet and the Facebook share functions are the twenty-first Century facilitators of this game and it is now a game played on a vast scale.Communication engineers will point out that the principle of maneuverise degradation as data is transmitted, relayed, and re-amplified a number of times as transmission distance increases over a channel is the same as the way hearsay information is perverted in a classifiable Chinese whispers game. Human debate unfortunately remainsanalog, so the advent of social media thedigital intermediaryin the propagation of this debate merely served as a more efficient way toaccurately mobilise low-quality information.With every digital factoid passing through Filipino brains in between retweets, the signal progressivelydegradesinto noise. We see this degradation insignal-to-noiseratios day-after-day when we make photocopiesof photocopiesand make photocopies ofthosephotocopies, the quality of the copy worsens as the number of copies increase. adjoin one of these nth-generation copies and you will come up with a really ill image. In the same way, amplify and transmit a bad signal over several iterations and all you get for your trouble is a louder and even noisier signal.That is essentially what social media is doing for the Philippine National Debate. * * * Indeed, everything essential to practicing landproperlycomprises stuff most well-bred people learned as little kids. Having a plan to get where one wants to go. Acquiring applicable information and applying it shrewdly. Regarding sales pitches with a critical mind. Being respectful and circumspect when communicating with other people regardless of the communication technology being used. You dont really need a Masters stage in political science to really get all that.When one understandsfundamentalproblems usingcommon sense, we tend to have a more practical regard for some of the silver-bullet solutions that the savviest spin-meisters around us build buzzes around. So urce http//getrealphilippines. com/blog/2013/02/everything-i-need-to-know-about-improving-the-outcome-of-philippine-elections-i-learned-in-kindergarten/ BLOG POSTS Policy Dialogue Series 2004 Academe Meets the Political Parties It has often been said that political parties in the Philippines are based on personalities, not on platforms and ideologies.But individuals do not aggregate demands of sectoral interests. Ideally, parties become the key venues where policies and programs are shaped. In the end, it is still the parties who can be made accountable to their constituents and to the people come post-electoral politics. While it may be true that voting patterns in the Philippines have reflected preference for personalities rather than parties, the platforms of the political parties should still be subjected to public scrutiny. Source http//twsc. upd. edu. ph/training_PDS1. html betrothal March 01, 2004 Filipino Voting PatternsBy Reynz According to some of the articles on the Inte rnet about Filipino voting patterns, most Filipino voters choose their candidates based on the side by side(p) 1. ) Utang na loob (Debt of gratitude) 2. ) Winnability 3. ) Charisma 4. ) Media exposure 5. ) Eloquence 6. ) Pakikisama 7. ) Ka-ching ka-ching In other words, Filipino voters rarely vote on the basis of the following 1. ) Capability 2. ) leading skills 3. ) Knowledge of the job 4. ) Moral upbringing and, 5. ) Fortitude Source http//www. reynaelena. com/2013/02/03/filipino-voting-patterns/ Date February 03, 2013