The Tragedy and the Comedy That is Politics

By Gel Santos Relos

                               

Binaba na ang telon ng kampanya, nairaos na ang eleksyon pero patuloy pa rin ang drama at suspense. Papaano tayo lilikha ng isang “happy ending” sa tunay na buhay na telenovela ng ating bayan? 

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.But we are not living in a perfect world. Here in the United States, as well as in the Philippines, we have witnessed and participated in the drama that is called politics--- with all the tragedy and the comedy that went along with it. 

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. In the past decade, that has changed  dramatically because of new technology.

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!   Messages about the candidate would, therefore, have to compete with millions of other messages to be noticed, let alone stick to the minds of the audience. This is where the magic of “stagecraft” and packaging comes in. 

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. Since fear and doubt are powerful motivators, the campaign season got even more heated when the candidates’ teams started saturating our consciousness with exposes,  negative ads, black propaganda---totoo man o hindi! Great materials for suspense thriller, drama, science fiction made us glued to the news--- C5 at  taga, hoax psychological tests results, the SEC scandal, the rift in Lakas,Villarroyo, Mama and Papa, Villar’s brother dying because they were so poor, the Hacienda Luisita massacre, Smartmatic's hocus-pcos, etc. 

These news, scandals and expose spread like wildfire and created immediate impact all the way to the grassroots instantaneously like never before! Mayroon ding pang-“Maalaala mo Kaya” -- Villar’s mom singing, crying and defending his son, Kris crying in defense of Noynoy and their family, etc.  Mayroon namang pang-comedy at Wowowee,…the Gordon girls, the power trio endorsers Pacman, Dolphy and Willie, the mascot Koala Bear alyas Robin…and many more! Pinoy artistry was also showcased in some cartoons, animations, pictures and captions and spread like virus in the internet!

                                  

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. Vile comments spewed by opposing candidates made more headlines than messages of support and cooperation. Traditional and new social media devoured on sensational news items because they were the ones that would catch audience attention compared to a discussion of platforms, programs and the capabilities of each candidate. 

                                 

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.  Gauging from the results of the election, it seems that what really mattered to most voters is the message of cleaning up the government. What made it stand out was the insatiable thirst for a government that people can trust, so they can continue believing that there is still hope for the Philippines. 

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.  Let this better understanding of campaigns, tactics and strategy help us understand that past debates should be deemed as “trabaho lang, walang personalan” and that candidates and their followers are not really as evil as they were perceived to be. 

          

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. The drama that is politics continues to unfold.  As a matter of fact, the new act  begins when our new President is sworn into office. 

 

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.  I hope we will write more comedies than tragedies and sound resolutions to the many conflicts that will surely come our way . I hope in six years, history will reflect that happy ending and lay a stronger, more solid foundation for our envigorated democracy.  For now, let us transition to a hopeful new beginning.