SINCE the Pinoy voted for BBM, allowing the Marcoses to have a major comeback, does that mean he believes that political dynasties could lift Pinas to greater heights? Will this inspire the underdog—meaning, not the incumbent—mayoral candidate to make a major comeback in Cagayan de Oro?
As for the two candidates for city councilor whom I thought are running as independents, they do have a political party. Both were kicked out of the minority when they wanted to join the majority that also rejected them, leaving their fans unsure of their 2025 plans.
In 2022, one of these two was the earliest bird to arrive at a forum for CDO’s city council candidates. He sat there inside the theater, patiently waiting for the forum to start. Expecting him to be as loud and funny as he was on TV and Facebook, I was pleasantly surprised with his silence—very demure, very mindful. Even when very demure and very mindful were not trending yet. He was then a member of a major political party. Now, he’s running along with his Facebook reel partner and I’m definitely looking forward to the comeback of their funny videos.
Yes, that’s my criterion now for the political candidate I’ll vote for: if he can make me laugh, sure na. Meaning, if Dolphy were alive today and he will be running for president in 2028, yes, I’ll vote for him. Does that mean I’ll vote for former Senate President Tito Sotto if ever he will run for president? Hmmm.
Election 2025 is so near, political candidates have already begun campaigning, making us wonder when the Commission on Elections will remove the political ads that have sprouted everywhere, including social media. The only words those ads don’t have are “Vote for.” But even without that, the ads are obviously for campaign purposes.
That’s the same as seeing a Christmas tree at a mall. It’s not December 25 yet but we know the mall is telling us to start our Christmas shopping already, unless we want to join the last-minute rush on Christmas Eve.
So, the Christmas season has officially started once the malls are hosting Christmas tree lighting events that have become so bonggang-bongga, complete with singers, ballet dancers, politicians, and—gasp!—political candidates.
Christmas is the best time for political candidates to kickstart their campaign, er, their acts of generosity which they can always justify by comparing themselves to Santa: if Santa can do it, why can’t I?
Do what? Is Santa corrupt? No. Is Santa greedy? No. Is Santa collecting commissions? No. Santa is the exact opposite of the typical politician.
But how about the political candidate, can he be Santa? Can he now visit barangays and distribute gifts? Conduct medical and dental missions? Donate a basketball court with his name and portrait painted on the middle of the floor?
Other unofficial campaign strategies include sponsoring any sport tournament, all sorts of ads such as “This program is brought to you by…,” Facebook reels, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and learning how to smile, shake hands, sing, dance, and speak the local dialect like his life depends on it.
