By Gel Santos Relos
In an
ideal world, campaign season is meant to be an opportunity for voters to really
get to know the candidates—their qualifications, experience, values and
motivation for running for office.
In the
past, we relied on the evening news from a few channels, our favorite daily
newspapers and radio commentators, to know what is going on the our
world. It was easier to achieve message control, therefore easier to package
the candidate according to the information made available to the public.
The
first requirement in any communication process is to catch the attention of
your target audience. If you fail in this first step, you cannot move on to the
next steps which are creating and sustaining interest and a favorable attitude
toward you candidate or cause. This will hopefully lead to the desired action
which is to get them to go out and give their support and vote for the
candidate.
With
the emergence of the 24/7 cable news, the 24/7 new social media
exchange of information---Facebook, blogs, Twitter, etc,---- it has become more
challenging for your message to be delivered and received by your intended
audience in the way it used to be. Nalulunod na ang mga tao sa dami ng
impormasyon, kung kaya’t naghahanap ng mga makabago at takaw-eksenang
pamamaraan upang mapansin at mapag-usapan ang mga kandidato.
What
has added spice to this new “recipe” is the fact that we, Filipinos, are very
personality-oriented people. We are drawn more to the personal attributes
of a candidate---if he or she can be trusted, if he or she is likeable enough, kung
“magaan ang dugo” ang unang dating sa atin ng kandidato. These
would have to be satisfied before we even consider listening to what the
candidate has to say!
As I
write this, images of campaign pictures, slogans, videos and ads flash like a
colorful and interesting montage in my mind. No value judgment here--- just
recollecting what we all collectively saw--- whether they're grounded on truth
and the honest reflection of the candidate and his position or not.
A quick
rundown: “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap,” “Sipag at tiyaga”, “Galing at
talino,”“Erap para sa mahirap,”“May pag-asa pa!,” “The real action-man,
transformational leader”…of course these seemed bland so we got more, as the
plot thickened.
Images
of Villar swimming in a sea of basura, pictures of Cory and Ninoy, Gibo talking
to foreign dignitaries, Gordon in relief efforts, Brother Eddie in
healing and prayer gatherings with the multitude, Erap hugging the poor lolas,
the adoring crowd --these were all meant to convey, through pictures, the
strengths of each candidate.
After all, pictures speak louder than words.
These news, scandals and expose spread like wildfire and created immediate
impact all the way to the grassroots instantaneously like never before!
Whether
we admit it or not, we have all been co-conspirators in the circus of the
election. The candidates’ campaign teams, media organizations and we, the
people ---we're all in this together! The more controversial and juicy
the story, the more media mileage it gets. Bad news sells more than good news.
After
all that's said and done and when the drama is over, what sticks is the message
which resonates with the values and priorities of people.
Fair game
in politics and democratic processes? What is important is we know how this
whole campaign strategy and thought processes work together, so we may somehow
calibrate our tools, reassess our strategy, and redefine what really matters to
us as a people.
This is
the downside of all these passionate rhetoric---we tend to demonize each other
in order to grab attention. We forget that we share a common goal in why we
wish to get the best candidate elected---we all just want to help move our
beloved country forward for the better.
Hopefully, remembering our common
denominator will aid us toward healing and reconciliation so we can all reach
out and work together toward building our country.
Each day of the
next six years, history will unfold and as we have proven in this past
election, we can and will play a bigger role in writing that history.