Often described as too square and boring, Philippine presidential candidate Benigno Aquino III reaches out to the music-television generation as a smiling, hip-hop rapper in his television advertisement, reports IPS. To show voters his lighter side, candidate Richard Gordon lipsynchs in a slapstick video with local comedians in YouTube while trying to the keep pace with The Tokens' 1961 hit ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. Catchy songs, sung by children in his advertisements, is how real estate tycoon Manuel Villar reminds voters that he knows what poverty is. ‘Have you ever bathed in a sea of garbage?” and “Have you ever spent Christmas on the streets?” go the lines of one campaign tune. With over a month left before the May 10 national elections, nine presidential candidates are busy displaying their ‘artistic talents' using television, radio, print and online venues to get the nod of voters in this South-east Asian country. Sixty percent of 92 million Filipinos are eligible to vote, along with 7.8 million overseas voters. Thus, 30- or 60-second election advertisements are what Filipinos have been seeing regularly on their televisions screens and the Internet, and hearing on the radio, since the campaign season began in February. Song and dance numbers, campaign ditties from the catchy to the forgettable, along with rich doses of humour and satire, have long been part of the fiesta culture of politics in the Philippines. The entertainment-loving crowd relishes the sight of their would-be leaders performing for them, whether it is in campaign sorties, or on television or radio. “As in many parts of the world in varying degrees, politics is like selling consumer items. Definitely, showbusiness is a major part (of it),” said Joel Lacsamana, deputy director for presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro, a former defence secretary. “People need to get to know who you are and that you are a candidate. The next step is to give yourself a brand and identity,” said Prospero de Vera, a professor of public administration at the University of the Philippines. A candidate for national office needs a voter recognition of 95 percent or more in order to win, he explains in an interview. Since politics and show business merge during campaign periods, presidential candidates have been racing to get endorsements by actors and actresses, singers and entertainers. This is the thinking behind one of Aquino's television commercials, ‘Hindi Ka Nag-iisa (‘You Are Not Alone'), which is among the most-star studded political advertisements in a long time. *The Asia Media Forum (http://www.theasiamediaforum.org) is a space for journalists to share insights on issues related to the media and their profession, as well as stories and opinions on democracy, development and human rights in Asia. It is coordinated by IPS Asia
