Gloria, the plague - Miriam Coronel Ferrer
Last Monday, a yellow half-bond sized handout slipped out of the newspaper that was delivered to our house. It had the face of the president holding a mobile phone to her ears, asking: “Noynoy, is dat you?” So that readers will not fail to miss the connection, “Hello Garci?!” was also printed boldly on top of the page.
The text then went on to say that Noynoy Aquino went against playing the “Hello Garci” tape in the Senate when the matter was being investigated because allowing it would violate the anti-wire tapping law. Then it boldface, the text continued: “Ang totoo, dahil tao siya ni GMA.”
Factual or not, the spiel was aimed at driving away voters from Noynoy by associating him with Gloria. It even bandied the term “GloriAquino”. But somehow the press nor the public has not picked up the term as much as “Villarroyo,” the original guilt-by-association badge aimed at pulling down Noynoy’s main competitor to the presidency, Manny Villar.
The campaign machinery of candidates and parties all have their version of the DDT, or Department of Dirty Tricks. Propaganda materials or spiels like the yellow-colored handout are part and parcel of negative campaigning strategies. But what is truly revealing in this free-for-all mudslinging is that the dirt being thrown at and passed from one candidate to another is none other than Gloria.
As standard bearer of the ruling LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD, presidential candidate Gibo Teodoro principally carries this baggage of being associated with the unpopular president. To keep distance, Gibo’s handlers have ensured he is not to be photographed with her. No poster of GMA raising Gibo’s hands have come out. Photos of Gibo with GMA are all from pre-election campaign files. Even the latest attempt at portraying a unified camp by the remaining stalwarts of the LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD last April 18 saw Gibo slipping out of the convention shortly before GMA arrived, avoiding her like the plague.
Pollsters and pundits are generally agreed that Gibo’s prospects have been shot from the start because of the Gloria tag.
When rumors circulated that Nacionalista Party Manny Villar is really GMA’s candidate, the “Villaroyo” badge had an immediate negative impact on Villar’s rating. After this, new Villar/Nacionalista Party ads shifted message from “pro-poor” to “the true opposition” which, for some advertising consultants, was a diffusion of campaign branding.
No other president had to endure this embarrassment of being treated like the kiss of death by political aspirants. Cory’s support was eagerly solicited in the 1992 contest. Ramos, in the 1998 election, raised many hands of LAKAS candidates. Even after being convicted of plunder, Partido ng Masa candidates seek public appearances with Erap.
All ruling political parties suffer betrayals and fall outs as candidates calculate their interests, or find themselves unhappy with the power play and decisions taken by their parties. This is why the political party system in the country remains fragile and immature. Cory herself endorsed Ramos against the wishes of her own party (and he won). But, deprived of a rallying figure whose unpopularity forces her to remain scarce and discourages investors, the sorry state of the ruling coalition, the LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD is unprecedented.
Despite the series of “legacy ads,” GMA and the rest of the First Family have been unable to win back the people’s hearts and minds. No outpouring of concern, or get well wishes, from the public accompanied Mike Arroyo’s most recent and most serious hospitalization. The Arroyo sons have not earned much respect, even though one has secured a district for himself, and another has managed to find another launching pad through an anomalous party list group, after his mother opted to run for the post he currently holds. Awards that the president received, even for what should be laudable like conservation of the Coral Triangle or as peripheral as promoting the Spanish language, are not celebrated are harshly criticized at home. For many, whatever merit served as the basis for the awards or the advertised accomplishments is overridden by the scandals that hounded her reign, the extra-judicial killings that spiked in the last ten years, and the abuse
and misuse of appointive power and patronage that have further eroded the integrity of state institutions.
Tsk, tsk. There is still truth to the adage that you reap what you sow.
E-mail: mcf178@yahoo.com
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
Share your views
@ Modela
Let us not be steered by "master manipulators" who look for a common emotional denominator among Filipinos to rob us blind - and make it look like we are to blame.Corrupt politicians are framing us up, making it look like it's our fault that they steal from us.
Those who are corrupt and above the law are the problem.
"Hello Garci" happened in the past, yes, but if we turn a blind eye to what weakens our institutions then we will never be able to solve our country's problems.
We should strengthen our Justice system by applying the full force of the law to ALL criminals, including corrupt justices. This is the key.
filam - CHILL OUT!
SO WHO VOTED ALL THESE CORRUPT POLITICIANS THEN IF NOT THE FILIPINOS? AMERICANS? EUROPEAN SO WE CAN HAVE A LOUSY LEADERS? OH C'MON... WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IN MY PREVIOUS COMMENTS IS STOP THE BLAMING AND LET'S ALL MOVE ON...
BY THE WAY,HELLO GARCI IS IN THE PAST... JUST LOOK AT THE BRIGHT FUTURE AND BY CHANGING THE WAY WE ALL THINK WE CAN ACHIEVE A BETTER GOVERNMENT. DON'T YOU AGREE?
CHOOSING SOMEONE YOU WE THINK WILL HELP US CHANGE THE CURRENT SITUATION ESPECIALLY POVERTY IS BETTER THAN CLINGING TO THE OLD HELLO GARCI MISTAKES. THIS IS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO GET ACROSS, TO CHOOSE THE ONE WE THINK CAN HELP US CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.
REMEMBER ALL THESE CANDIDATES ARE BEGGING FOR YOUR VOTES BECAUSE THEIR VICTORY IS AT YOUR HANDS AND NOT UP TO THEM TO WIN. WE ARE THE ONE WHO PUT THEM IN THAT POSITION. SO YES, WE ARE THE ONE TO BLAME AND WHO MAKE THEM WHO THEY ARE... AND IF THEY WON BECAUSE OF FRAUDULENT THAT IS BECAUSE OF THOSE FILIPINOS WHO ACCEPT MONEY FROM POLITICIANS (VOTE BUYING) IT STILL OUR FAULT.... TIME FOR A CHANGE AND IT WILL TAKE ALL OF US TO WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE IT HAPPENED!
Gloria will be recorded in
Gloria will be recorded in history as the worst thief in the world ever. She has stolen the presidency twice & deprived the Filipino people of their right to have a good leader that could have been Erap or FPJ who has a heart for the people if they were given the right chance & enough time.
It may be the end for Gloria, but not for the Filipino yet
as we deserve a second chance, so we must grab it. The only way to achieve justice for ourselves is to put back to its right place what have been stolen.
God has given the mandate to Erap before by letting him won a far distance from his opponents; it's for us to bring this mandate back to him; just don't be swayed by the lies of the selfish evils.
Who voted for who?
@ Modela:
I've got two words for you: "Hello Garci."
So before you blame lahat ng Filipinos for voting for a dud I think you should consider na baka GMA wasn't voted, dahil malaki ang possibility that she cheated.
We should deport Gloria to Afghanistan para matahimk na ang Pilipinas.
GLORIA IS THE ROOT OF ALL
GLORIA IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVILS IN OUR COUNTRY!
BOTTOM LINE..............
I DO NOT REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY FILIPINOS ARE COMPLAINING AND WHINING ABOUT THESE CORRUPT POLITICIANS. REMEMBER, YOU GUYS ARE THE ONE WHO VOTED FOR THESE CORRUPT POLITICIANS TO BEGIN WITH? YOU VOTED FOR THESE PEOPLE AND NOW THAT THEY ARE DOING BAD THINGS YOU BLAME THEM? YOU SHOULD BLAME NO ONE BUT YOURSELF!
IF AND ONLY IF.. WE THINK CAREFULLY WHO WE SHOULD VOTE AND WHO SHOULD BE THE BEST CANDIDATES TO LEAD OUR COUNTRY BASED ON YOUR BELIEFS AND SEPARATE YOUR IDIOLISM AND INSTEAD BE REALISTIC AND A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN OF YOUR COUNTRY THEN, WE DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER LIKE THIS AND WE DO NOT HAVE PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW? WOULD WE?
THOSE POLITICIANS WHO RAN IN THE PAST AND PROVEN TO BE CORRUPT OR THOSE WHO ARE DOING MONKEY BUSINESS THAT WE KNOW ABOUT AND WAS PROVEN FOR DOING SO SHOULD BE VOTED OUT IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE.
INSTEAD OF BLAMING SHE/HE DID THIS AND THAT... WHY CAN'T WE CORRECT OURSELVES FROM OUR MISTAKES AND MOVE ON? MUDSLINGING IS NOT GOING TO HELP US, IT WOULD NOT CHANGE THE PAST AND WOULD NOT DO ANY JUSTICE FOR US.
WE LEARN THE HARD WAY AND WE DO NOT WANT TO REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES AGAIN. SO? GO OUT AND VOTE ON MAY AND CHOOSE THE RIGHT CANDIDATES THAT YOU THINK WOULD HELP US GET OUT OF THIS RUT THAT THE PREVIOUS OR CURRENT ADMINISTRATION CREATED.
GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
Clap clap clap!
@bida ng bayan -clap clap clap.
@Keren Devil-ka - One word...China. Google mo ha para malaman mo kung masama ba tlga ang communism at mag-isip. May napala ba tayo sa ganitong Demokrasya? Ito ang demokrasya na palpak! Hindi ito ang demokrasya na sinasabi ng Amerika, nila Ninoy. Ilusyon lang ito na gawa-gawa ng mga taong nakikinabang sa kamangmang ng tulad syo. Alamin mo na rin ano ibig sabihin ng "McCarthyism" para kung sakali mag-comment ka e alam mo pinauusapan sa column bago ka magdadakdak dyan kung anu ano.
It's really sad that this election has turned out to be a "show" rather than a platform for these candidates why should they get our votes. Tayo po ay pinagkakaila sa simpleng tanong na paano nila gagawin yung mga sinasabi nila. Bagkus puro siraan at batuhan ng may pinakamabaho sa kanila (bagama't talaga namang mga tae itong pamilya ni PGMA, except Luli kasi cute sya lol). Para sa kandidato dyan, sagutin nyo paano nyo gagawin ung reporma at hindi papogi lang.
@care-in devil - so whose side are you, fascist devil torturers?
In this post-modernist, pluralist societies of ours, comments like yours should not be posted here. It's obsolete and so oldies like 50s/60s of McCarthyist - illogical and unfounded. If we review our history, "McCarthyism is the political action of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence" (Wiki). My goodness, you should have matured and outgrown this childish arguments of yours! Takot ka sa communism tapos ang topic hindi naman about communism eh? It's about our corrupt system of government, right, you dumb ass! Atsaka, could you define communism? I'm sure yan lang alam mo about communism - your myopic and pathetic mind is not worthy of even discussing this issue when you're not even knowledgeable about communism perse. May taga-abs-cbn management ba dyan na nagbabasa sa mga farfetched comments na ito or kayo-kayo lang gumagawa nito? Wag nyo nang patulan ang ganitong mga bullshit na comments, nakakasira ng araw! Keren Devilla, go to hell! Pareho lang kayo ni GMA or kampon ka siguro nya ano? pwede!
KAYONG MGA KOMUNISTA ANG SALOT!
ang tunay na salot ay mga katulad ng nagsulat nito na LEFTIST kuno who actually are communists. Bagay di nyo ilabas ang tunay nyong kulay.mas masahol pa kayo sa siinisiraan nyo ng puri dahil mas mapagkunwari pala kayo. nagtatago kayo sa magagandang salita pero ang kulay pala ay PULA. kAHIT SINO PA ANG UMUPO DYAN SA PWESTO,ASAHAN NYO NA ang propaganda machine na naman ay gagana para manirang puri sa giyang journalismo kuno.
truth is, these leftist communists ay may private army, THE NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY. Maniniwala lang ako na matino ang layunin nyong mga leftist kung isusuko nyo na ang inyong mga armas at lumahok sa mapayapang pagkandidato sa pulitika at di maghasik nang takot at terorismo para masulong ang mga leftist kumunista.
Etong sina coronel,PCIJ and some in mainstream media are closet communists who demonizes institutions para mawalan ng tiwala ang tao at magkaroon na ng revolution. FYI commies, matagal ng Failed ang ideology nyo. Dream on na lang kayo. ubusin nyo laway nyo sa black propaganda dahil di mangyayari ang gusto nyo
Iisa lang ang solusyon sa
Iisa lang ang solusyon sa problema ng bayan. Panaigin ang hustisya ng Diyos, ituwid ang pagkakamali ng EDSA DOS. Ibalik ang ninakaw sa ninakawan. Hayaang ipagpatuloy ni Erap ang kanyang magagandang hangarin sa taumbayan, na alam nating itinuka ng Diyos sa kanya ng manalo sya ng milya nung nakaraang halalan, subalit pinutol ito ng mga demonyong sakim at ganid sa kapangyarihan.
Ngayon ang mga demonyo ay muling manlilinlang, kaya mag-ingat, magdasal at mag-isip ng mahusay, isama ang puso sa pagninilay. Hwag isipin ang sarili lamang kundi ang mga kumakalam na sikmura ng mga kadugo mo't kalaman.
Iwaksi sa isipan ang pinaniwala saiyo na si Erap ay may kasalanan, dahil di pa sapat ang kanyang inilagi sa Malakanyang para sya husgahan. Ang kanyang conviction at lahat ng 'yun ay palabas lamang para bigyang-katwiran ang kanilang gawa-gawang paratang. At may mga tao nang kasama sa nag-akusa sa kanya noon na dahil sa malinis na budhi ay umamin na na sila ay nalinlang lamang. Dahil sa bandang huli lalabas ang katotohanan. Ang katotohanang magpapalaya sa sambayanan. THE TRUTH WILL SET US FREE! Do justice for ourselves. Let God's justice prevail.