ADVERTISING–the world's oldest profession–has done it again.
Thanks to that demonic "Dagat ng Basura" song plus P240 million worth of ads for January alone, Manny Villar has managed to land a statistical tie with Noynoy Aquino according to a recent SWS survey. Well, the survey didn't really say that said ad was responsible for this surge. But I'm also pretty sure it has nothing to do with fiery oratorical skills and clear articulation of platforms.
Barring some last-minute voodoo by the present occupants of Malacanang, or Comelec, whichever the case may be (they seem to be interchangeable), I have no doubt in my mind that Manny Villar will become the next president of the Philippines. And I make that statement with the same degree of rejoicing while waiting for my prostate surgery.
This makes me sound cynical, but you can't blame me. In all my life as a voter, I never once got the presidents I wanted: Salonga, Miriam (she was merely semi-insane then), Roco, and ... what the hell does it matter. What makes me weep is the idea that my fate for the next six years would be decided by the same horde that watches Wowowee and gets delirious over that "Dagat ng Basura" song– the same increasingly ever-expanding demographic that might not understand what "insertion" means but practices it radically according to the Pimentelian definition. We get the kind of government we deserve. All hail President Villar.
In the headlines this week was a study by the National Statistical Coordination Board concluding that Filipino voters in general do not select their leaders "on the basis of good governance, platform or issues." Dah.
That this presidential race would be determined by the profusion of ads is akin to a dog show where the winner is the one who pisses and poops all over the place the most. And of all the dogs onstage, it seems that Villar would leave the biggest, warmest mound of excrement and the biggest and smelliest pool of urine. Since 2009, he has inflicted on us a string of ads and jingles designed to worm their way into our memory. Anyone remember "Akala mo conio/ Yun pala hindi...?" I still wake up in the middle of the night with those dark syllables reverberating in my skull.
Okay, okay, you're poor, we get it. Do you need to hammer it in? Oh, yes, of course, you do. But remember that crap could have been a beautiful piece of cauliflower once, or a slice of glisteningly fresh fish. And that Adolf Hitler was a painter in his youth, and that Pol Pot studied radio technology in Paris.
If you're the self-proclaimed "first brown billionaire of the Philippines" it's only expected that you get only the best that filthy lucre can buy. I'm sure any agency that has a cell phone firm, a fried-chicken chain, and Belo, among others, as its clientele must be doing something right.
Well said, Lourd. Not being an elitist, but it's a pity that the supposed-to-be dignified polls that "would decide the future of our country...blah...blah..." have definitely gone to the dogs. It's a pity that the presidentiables have to go so low on kissing the masses' ass just to woo their votes, hence lowering the standards of the already-degraded campaign. It's like giving sweets to a sugar-addicted kid who has a bad case of tooth decay.
@Lourd, I ain't so sure about the effectivity of these tsunamis of ads. As long as the WIZARD OF THE BALLOT ( Ronnie Puno) is still around, no amount of ads can neutralize the wizard's spell....
Villar will win. Either Bong Revilla or Jinggoy Estrada will top the polls. No amount of intelligent discussions in spot, Facebook, and other blogs will work. The stupid voters will rule again. Having said that, the Filipinos are not worth dying for. Let us all pack up and leave the Philippines - for good.
I am saddened to see this new Noynoy ad. His straightforward 'di ako magnanakaw' ad, although platformless, was the most decent political ad I've seen. Now he resorts to this. WTF, Noynoy?!
Any tacky ads will do for as long as it captures the unintelligent MASA. Gusto ko si NOYNOY ang manalo hindi ang magnanakaw na si VILLAR. Tama na ang pa-sosyal, pa-intellectual, pa-garbo, pa-Ingles Ingles, pa-elitista, atbp. na ad. Hindi ito papasok sa kukote ng working class. Mas mababaw mas papatok sa CDE audience. I am not politically correct here. At the end of the day, ang MASA nag pipili ng susunod na presidente ng Pilipinas hindi ang mga graduates ng top schools na mahilig sa debate na wala namang pinatutunguhan.
i couldnt agree more!!!! poets should run the government lol!!! i was so sure i will vote for gordon but lost hope in the whole tug of war survey results of villar (c5 at tiyaga) and noynoy (mama and papa) - now, i am left as a bystander in the whole election process despite my (single) voting privilege i have no use of. on a side note, never in my 20 years of existence have i encountered a person (family member friend, friend of a friend of a friend) who participated in election-related surveys. either these survey companies whatever you call them has this super random approach or im just a loser with an uninteresting social network.
Let us face it. Democracy is based on a critical mass. Kahit ayaw natin, mas nakararami (called masa) ang tanga, mangmang, showbiz na showbiz, mababa ang pinag-aralan, at walang analytical skills na botante. Sa kalakaran ngayon, mas dadami pa sila kasi anak sila ng anak at hindi maipapasa ang Reproductive Health Bill. God Bless the Philippines. I give up!
Clearly Villar is the most advertising savvy of all the candidates. He's ahead of the game [in advertising terms], as his campaign managers are very aggressive leaving no stone unturned. You hear his ads on AM radio, you see it in the Internet, billboards, TVC, komiks, anime, podcast, etc. I would love to be the one giving out the invoice or the billing statement for services rendered. Villar's team even conceived a game show devoted to him in Eat Bulaga without even mentioning his name. But it is so obvious from color scheme and branding, it screams VIllar DNA. I think it's called "Hakot Yaman" or something. It is a game show that no one loses and everybody wins (but of course, he has all the money to give!). Villar has the capacity mount the best dog and pony show in town, killing all the competition. This is pimping in the highest order, the sublime artform that helped raise the standard of the oldest profession in the world.
Dapat bawal ng bumoto ang MASA, kasi nabababoy lang ang eleksiyon. Yung mga legit taxpayers lang dapat. At sa laki ng gastos ni Villar sa Ads, siguradong, babawi iyan pag presidente na, kaya mas lalong lulubog ang Pilipinas. Mas masahol pa sa Haiti, Bangla Desh, Ethiopia, Sudan sa kahirapan. Mabuti pa siguro lumubog na lang itong Pinas sa Pacific Ocean, talagang HOPELESS CASE eh!
DemoCRAZY at its finest. PWE!
My heart palpitates at the thought of the WOWOWEE-fication of not only Philippine Politics, but of all 7,107 islands. I don't know if it's the endless shallow psyche of the so-called MASA or just the fekkin tv host to blame for all this. Try to watch noon time tv on an even numbered channel. Notice your IQ drop 80 points. Or if it's already below that, you'll find yourself diving for it below sea-level. Hopefully in a sea of garbage. (just so you could really experience what the ad is talking about)
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by Spotdotph: Lourd de Veyra: Video killed the political star http://bit.ly/cwEdeJ...
Thanks to the rules of democracy, we get the candidate the majority votes for. The poor get poorer, the middle class tries to escape to other countries and the rich are just plain rich. Why are there so many political ads? It is because they know where the votes are. Rather they know that the majority of the Philippine voting populace doesn't care about issues or platforms; what they see is what they believe.
basta ako NOYNOY! pagtatyagaan k p c jamby kesa kay villar! ni hndi nga xa mkpg speech ng diretso at walang kodigo! tsk!3 yan b ang next president n gusto natin???????/ pweh
Has anybody watched the Mo Twister interview with Ara Mina? She is definitely DUMB, DUMBER, AND DUMBEST. She will represent the kind of public official that will run our government affairs if she wins in this election. She is definetly not the sharpest pencil in the drawer. Mga kababayan ko, mag-isip isip naman po tayo.
Bakit ang masa lang lagi? No. Ang mga mayayaman at may alam, dapat maging tapat lang at wag lang silang mamigay ng pera. Yon lang ang kailangan. Dalawang paraan ng pagbili ng boto. Isa bigyan ng pera ang mamboboto para magboto at yong isa, bigyan ng pera at wag papuntahin sa presinto. At sa lahat ng kandidato si Villar at Gibo lang ang may kakayahang gawin iyon!
What is most frustrating is how the Noynoy lead was supposedly whittled down on the battlefield of advertising. If Noynoy is indeed backed by the "smart set", how come we can't make a better ad? I'm not an advertising guy, but it does not take a lot of brains to figure out what Noynoy's next ad should be like: voice over; scenes of poor (but happy) kids and departing OFWs; Noynoy in their midst. "May tiwala ako sa Pilipino; kailangan ko ang tulong niyo..." NO stupid jingles, No celebrity endorsements. In other words, it has to be sincere, a direct appeal for change and hope. It has to be positive and it should not pander. The poor are better at smelling bullsh*t than we all think.
HI..CAN I ASK YOUR PERMISSION..WE WANT TO POST YOUR ARTICLE/BLOG ON OUR CHANGEPHILIPPINES WEBSITE..I THINK PEOPLE ARE STILL UNAWARE OF ALL THIS ISSUES..THE LOWER CLASS MAYBE..BUT THE CLASS A AND B OR EVEN C WHO ARE NOT INTO TELEVISION STUFFS..IF THEY ARE THEN I DONT THINK THEY ARE WATCHING NEWS.. THANK YOU
"Gotta have skillz to pay the billz, yo." - laugh trip! :) Seriously? Villar on podcast?
democracy is good only for middle-class-dominated societies like the USA and Japan. it is a simple state of mind, not a working reality, for poor countries like RP. no amount of voters education can ever elect the best political managers into positions when only the rich can manage a real nationwide campaigns. come to think of it, in a dictatorship, there's only one man to blame.