Unfair pre-political ads

Unfair pre-political ads

I watched with interest the recent Senate hearing led by Senator Miriam Santiago on the issue of premature campaigning through commercial advertisements. The use of television, radio, billboard, and newspaper advertisements by some cabinet secretaries and other high-ranking government officials are effective ways to toss them to national posts in the 2010 elections. Regardless of the reasons offered by these government officials why they advertise their programs and activities of their departments, theirs are clearly pre-political gimmicks purposely to make inroads into the consciousness of our people that they are running in the 2010 elections. They imprudently squandered the people’s money for such advertisements when such can be more judiciously used in other productive endeavors that would alleviate poverty condition or ease the social and economic plights of our people.

It is becoming apparent that most of our politicians suffer from what I call attention-crisis syndrome. All unscrupulous politicians fight for attention and there seems to be no cure for this. They starve to be seen and be heard of- kulang sila sa pansin. Media exposure is what they thought to be their medication. Obviously, because of their media exposures, they have a better advantage to win in the 2010 elections than those of us who cannot afford to pay this kind of expensive media spectacle of premature campaigning. Worse, these image-building advertisements relegate the more important issues of the day into oblivion. Elections should be based on platforms and what candidates say their stand on issues besetting our country rather than on how many times we have seen their faces or heard their voices in these commercial advertisements. If elections were held today, would we vote for the candidates who had spent millions of people’s money for the advertisements or would we go for those candidates whose advertisements are eye-catching or dramatic? Only the uncaring citizens of this country would probably vote for them.

I simply cannot afford to pay for such commercial advertisements in order to win a Senate seat. I am virtually unknown as a Senate aspirant but I trust that our people would elect Senatorial candidates not on the basis of media exposures but on the platforms of the candidates, their integrity, zeal to serve with a sense of responsibility, and honesty to bring the gospel-values into the world of politics.