"Watch Out"

“Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura, nagpasko ka na ba sa gitna ng kalsada? Yan ang tanong namin, tunay ka bang isa sa amin?”

I chortled as I watch a kid singing the Villar campaign song; despite his mumbling and tripping on words, he still managed to finish the whole hymn.

And who would not be able to memorize a tune of a campaign song that plays almost every commercial break of every TV program in different channels simultaneously? Every individual with two functioning ears and not deaf is definitely familiar with Villar’s song.

Manny Villar who is a presidential candidate from Nacionalista party is just one of the other candidates who are now using their tentacles to persuade the people to vote for them. And with his personal stand that he is “tunay na mahirap”, he reaches for the hearts of the people and states that he is a main representation of the poor people and can impose a change in the country’s current situation.

Before the ads of Villar, Mar Roxas’s campaign ad first filled the air. The ever famous line, “Anak itabi mo..” while pedaling the pedikab and hearing the cries of the common people in wet market has made a massive impact on the minds of the people. In addition, last year, he drew thousands of audience during his wedding with broadcaster Korina Sanchez when the whole ceremony was showed on TV.

The turnover of Presidential candidacy from Roxas to Noynoy Aquino, hit the headlines and became a major strike. After a few months, Aquino released his campaign ad with the main theme “hindi ka nag-iisa” featuring various artists from different networks while passing the torch with one another.

Recently, Loren Legarda, a tough contender on the Vice presidential seat, flashed her campaign ad on TV. With the “ang bayan ko’y tanging ikaw” as the background song, she showed her accomplishments in her service for the people.

On the other hand, “galing at talino” which stands for Gibo Teodoro consistently flashes his vision for the country while Gordon features his works in his previous service; his ads states that “leadership results integrity”.

Estrada seeks the voter’s attention by keeping his stand of “Erap tapat sa mahirap” and by condensing his movie-like life story; he presented his self in a Cinderella way while convincing the masses that he should grab the position that rightfully belongs to him.

These candidates are obviously using the power of media to insist their qualifications for their attempted positions to the minds of the people. From the repetitive playing of these campaign ads, they leave a certain notion to the voters that they are definitely the right person to be voted upon.

Aside from their campaign ads, they continuously extend their hands to those in need and grab every opportunity to expose their selves to the masses. They drag their feet from one place to another to draw supporters and voters without wasting any moment.

From the typhoon disaster programs to the Mayon victim evacuations, these candidates became as visible as ever and were consistently present in every reach out programs just like students inside the class fishing for grades.

Only a few months away and these candidates would be listed down in our ballots and would be possible options for the election. And with only a few months before May 10, we should expect more of these candidates especially in the remaining days of their campaign period. But just as they prepare their selves for their battles, we, as voters should also prepare ourselves for choosing the right candidates for their respective positions.

They might use powerful words and blinding promises to lock us with their votes but we should be vigilant and more powerful in analyzing every word that comes from them. Extensive research on the lives and backgrounds of these candidates are badly needed to be able to get the whole picture instead of just seeing a slight portion of them.

Catchy hymns and almost perfect campaign ads are not strong basis for choosing the right candidate. Despite the lasting syndrome that these songs give to us, we should still weigh things over.

When we give our vote to one of them and shade the circle beside the name of that certain candidate on the ballot during election, there’s no turning back. So we better watch out!

- Zephora Jane A. Lingahan