Epal epiphany

It is that time in the Philippines again, fellow voters! Elections are just around the corner, and the faces of politicians are too! “We are one with you in celebrating All Souls Day“, “Libreng Tuli”, and “Free water” brought to us by our friendly, future government leaders.

These future “leaders” are whom Senator Miriam Santiago affirms as “Epals” in the Senate House Bill 1967 entitled “An Act Prohibiting Public Officers from Claiming Credit Through Signage Announcing a Public Works Project”.

What the bill basically wants to penalize and stop are the shameless traditional politicians or “trapos” who tirelessly paste their faces and names on government publicity materials, stating that it was only through their efforts that the project was made possible, with the help of their initiative (definitely untrue); at the same time hoping that they would receive some credit and appreciation from the public.

Even the death of the late Secretary Jessy Robredo and the devastation wrought on by the Habagat this year had been used by these politicians as a campaigning opportunity. Walls, bridges, donation bags, and water bottles contained sympathetic messages in addition to their big smiling faces and names.

Save us from the vanity

Why do they do this? Well, these names that we see in tarpaulins and water bottles are also the same names that we will see in the ballot next 2013. No surprises there; we all know the reputation of Philippine elections as a dirty, bloody game of hungry hippos.

Publicity materials act as delivery mechanisms for the dissemination of important announcements, ideas, proposals, or any other update via different kinds of media. Therefore, it is natural and indeed imperative for government entities, local or national, to make use of such materials for the betterment of the people who voted for them and paid for their payroll in the first place. Newsletters, flyers, and tarpaulins are three of the most-used publicity materials: these are serviceable, stately, and costly materials, used by politicians for their own ends as an abuse of public resources. It is incredible how much these people are willing to spend and pose just to get their names bombarded into the faces of people, instead of using the aforementioned communicative platforms to teach the public about pertinent issues like dengue treatment, the filing of ITRs, or how to avail of free legal services offered in the LGU.

Through this absurd agenda-setting, officials get to have their names deeply dented into the minds of the people, thinking that they automatically have a political advocacy or stand to support their fame operation. Their operation is all a part of their own ‘political propaganda’. Of lack thereof.

Political propaganda, what is it? Political propaganda is a lost art. Political propaganda requires a well-thought out strategy, a blueprint if you will, to represent and broadcast effectively a certain cause or position imposed by the propagandist. It is a subtle way to spread and influence citizens without resorting to more hostile means. Propaganda was used to guide people into taking the propagandists’ desired path.

One of its limelight years was during World War II, where strong warmongering states like the USA and Germany, used propaganda to encourage growth in manpower, using harsh propaganda to spur the spirits of the workforce in the lower classes, as well as the overt disparaging of their state’s enemy, among others. The means of dissemination is purposely made repetitive, for a greater, more pervasive reach. It aims to arouse emotional, not rational, reactions and interpretations from the people. An example of a famous propaganda poster is that of Uncle Sam pointing his index finger straight at the viewer with the slogan “I want you for U.S. Army”.

As awesome political propaganda seems to be, our politicians today seem to have a knack for misusing and abusing propaganda’s ideal essence. In perspective, many Philippine politicians use political propaganda for campaigning advantages even before the legal campaigning period. Moreover, they use ‘propaganda’ by resorting to slapping their faces on canned foods and rations meant to help those in need. Where is the integrity? Okay, propaganda in itself is a bias, a controlled bias. Put more bias into it, mix it with a thirst for power, and a lot of money, and you have a good political model for local politics.

It should be about platforms; planned out, realistic projects that assured progress in our community. Yes, many platforms may not be quite realistic to the cynical citizen, but at least politicians present the public a  measure for concrete progress during their term, should they be elected. Now what do they present us with? Their faces. Promising a bright future with just your face should never be a tool for political campaigning.

But enough of these nuisance candidates. The true power is not with the the candidate but with the voter. These politicians expect the voters to be gullible: do not give them that luxury. Voters are more powerful, with more power in their hands than they think. Sometimes it is forgotten just how powerful the collective vote can be in shaping policy, but that is not difficult to see given how cynical citizens have become.

So for this coming 2013 general elections, think. Know your candidates, know their history, know their party. Be informed, learn about their previous political endeavors, what legitimate progress they have brought through their projects, and so forth. “Epals” will always exist in politics, it is a virus the world has yet to conjure up a cure for. But one vote can decide if ever that “epal” wins or loses. Do not be fooled by “Epal Propaganda”.

If you think that there is not much to worry about the 2013 general elections, if there is nothing to be worried about whom to place on the 12 seats of the Senate, remember this: Sotto will still be a Senator until 2016. Vote wisely.