The So-Called Goodwill Advertisements

Don’t you just hate listening to goodwill advertisements of various politicians who are obviously going to run for the next presidential post? They are slowly easing their names, their causes and their achievements through these highly scripted commercials. They're reaching out to people who are mostly smart enough to realize that this is one of campaigning strategies being adapted today. Ugh.

These politicians, who have montages in commercials, say that it’s not a form of advertisement. Those are public service commercials of course, to let people know how to contact you and trust you. Public service? But of course, some are even coy enough to deny their desire to run until the day they file for candidacy. But at the end of it all, those who advertise will run anyways. I bet on it.

May it be print ads, commercials or radio announcements, some major politicians who have dreams of becoming the next president, strongly make it known to the whole world of what they believe in and what causes they are fighting for. They do it by reaching out to people, not only through careful and positive advertisements, but by presenting hotline numbers, websites on how to reach them. Knights in shining armors we thought we never had. But those politicians who have never been eyed to run for highest post, nor were their heads within the radar of political movements, remain quiet and low profile. No commercials, nothing grand. You would never or seldom see them on TV unless if it’s an official hearing. What gives for those politicians who advertise?

I’m not against advertising. Hell, that is needed to reach out to people to make the right choice, but I do hope they do it right and not mislead people with their grandeur...scripted grandeur. I hope they would stop insulting the Filipino people by putting out advertisements of goodwill when we can clearly see the vetted self interests behind it. If they're going to advertise, there's a time line and everyone should be able to follow and not the get ahead just because you're rich or the camera loves you. There’s something really wrong if their goodwill stellar performances are unknown beyond the realm of TV, don't you think? I do hope their advertisements really mirror what’s happening in reality, otherwise our politics have been deduced to shows and funny commercials in between.