Image making:
what makes one win?

The other night I enjoyed viewing ANC's Tina Monzon Palma interviewing three nationally well known image makers or PR men - Reli German, Greg Garcia, and Ray Orosa.

They discussed the topic, "What makes a candidate win?" German handled the strategy for Team Unity but I was not able to get who handled the front running opposition senatorial candidates.

Escudero and Legarda are easy to promote. But Lacson, Cayetano, Trillanes, and Honasan require expert handling.

Handling image making is doing the job of a beautician, studying the face, the complexion, then putting on the proper make-up, including the falsies. Listening to the three, I hope our political leaders learned from them, if they cannot afford their prohibitive services.

***

I taught in college a subject "Public Relations." The reference book that discussed theories and practices was authored by Cutlip and Summer. It was a very good book. But, this was in the 60s when PR was not yet a very well known practice.

Since then I have been observing PR practices, especially because the best PR practitioners of the era Ady Siason and later Bubby Dacer who are now all gone, were among my close friends. When both of them came to Bacolod, they always called me up earlier and we would sit down together and laugh at all those shenanigans they did. And the foolishness of some politicians.

Oh, to be an image maker, one has to be very imaginative, full of ideas needed by businessmen.

I recall one PR man, the book said, made his client earn millions of dollars because of the news then that Russian satellite Sputnik would fall on earth, where nobody knew. So, he sold insurance for one million dollars if one was hit. The cost was only a dollar. So many bought and he made millions.

***

Reli German handled Team Unity in this election. And he said, he succeeded in impressing on people that we have economic growth. And the selling point is have a team to implement programs to sustain that growth. The other two, however, said, negative things are stronger than positive presentations.

In the series of debates between two brilliant young men, Mike Defensor and Francis Escudero over ANC's "Square Off" Defensor would tick off statistics about economic growth.

And Escudero would just counter that there is still hunger in the country side. His punch line, "Ask people."

True, negative is more effective. To some extent.

***

I said, I have been observing how local candidates handle their campaign, especially on the matter of creating images. I have never been involved in any of them.

I don't want to discuss them now, especially before the results of the election are over.

I hope to do it next week.

I don't know if the candidates also sit down with their friends and study what image to project and how to do it. I can see there's not much image-making or strategizing with some candidates.

***

It's tragic. The way we canvassed our votes is like the way we canvassed our votes in 1950. I was told almost all countries, except the backward ones, are now computerized. We are not.

What set us back was corruption. The Supreme Court nullified the computerization because of irregularities.

***

Meanwhile, it's proven that our people can no longer be influenced by money. Many candidates who tried to win by sheer force of money failed. People still voted on the basis of performance. Good performance!

I like yesterday's news items:

From South Cotabato, Inquirer reported "Darlene 'knocks out' Pacquiao." The report said incumbent Congresswoman Darlene Antonino Custodio led boxing icon Manny Pacquiao with a big margin.

Pacquiao should give those who enticed him into running a big upper cut. Enough to make them sleep.

***

In Pampanga, Fr. Eddie Panlilio is also fighting hard in a neck to neck race with incumbent Governor Mark Lapid and Board member Lilia Pineda.

Even if Panlilio fails to win, he has already delivered the message. Lapid is facing charges of graft, while Pineda is the wife of a jueteng lord suspect Bong Pineda.

And controversial former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano threw in the towel and promised not to enter politics again.

People have awakened. Here in Bacolod, the entry of two independent candidates in the city council, Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and Celia Flor is a good sign.

But to run as independent on a one-on-one fight like Andy Hagad's congressional bid and Lyndon Caña's vice-mayoralty try is still difficult. The problem is logistics and organization.

But the sign is very encouraging.*

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