Emmy Awards winner notes striking similarities among PH, US politicos

By CONG B. CORRALES
Associate Editor

STRIKING––and sometimes funny––similarities among political candidates in the country and the US were highlighted in the discussions at the Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC) here yesterday.

Three-time Emmy Awards winner Alan Schroeder pointed out that the political dynamics in the US and in the country have so much in common despite the fact that Americans have been having elections much longer than the Philippines.

A professor in the School of Journalism at Northeastern University in Boston who won Emmy awards for his previous work as a producer at WBZ-TV, Schroeder likened presidential candidate  Rodrigo Duterte to outspoken Republican Donald Trump.

“I ‘Googled’ Duterte and the first entries in the search were the ‘Top 10 outrageous things.’ Both of them can say the most outrageous things, and yet they seem to be getting popular support,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder pointed out the similar circumstances of presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe and US Sen. Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz. The citizenships of the two politicians, he said, are being questioned.

He said the US also have its own version of “political dynasties,” citing the “Bush dynasty” and the Clinton “dynasty.”

“They are pretty much political dynasties… Then we have the Bush family. Although, they are pretty much done,” Schroeder said.

Even the tendency of candidates not to show up during debates is not the monopoly of the Philippines, he said.

“Most of these politicians do not want to be in a situation where they are not in control… where they have no advisers whispering to them…,” said Schroeder.

Schroeder was in the city together with Emma Nagy, assistant information officer at the US Embassy in Manila, and Florabel Aureus, cultural affairs specialist.