Okay, so Randy David is going up against the mighty Arroyo Political Machine, he will also have to go up against The Pinedas and all the local politicos under The Arroyo Umbrella. I say, good luck to Mr. David, he will need it. But aside from luck, here’s some solid advice that any campaign manager would and should tell Randy David.
Randy David must have a platform that says I care for The People of Pampanga and this is what I will do for them. Randy David argues that The 2010 Pampanga election will have a national flavor, and thus has turned local politics into National politics. And the saying that all politics is local has also been turned upside down.
I have to disagree on one single aspect, that just because President Arroyo may be running for a lower and local political position as a congressman does not mean that the elections will be national. It may be covered like a national position, but it will still be a local affair. Unless the entire electorate will be voting in this Pampanga District, I suggest to Mr. David that his strategy for winning in the 2010 election must still be focused on the local aspect of the race, because in the end, it will still be the people in the district that will vote, and not the entire nation.
This is such an important aspect of any campaign, that it would be foolish for Randy David to only run on one single anti-Gloria platform and expect himself to be carried by anti-Arroyo sentiments.
If Randy David can answer to the people of Pampanga, what he can do for them in terms of livelihood, economy, jobs, food, safety, and infrastructure, he will have a greater chance of winning.
He will get a percentage that will go to him on the basis of an anti-Arroyo campaign alone, but that will only bring him so much. I like Randy David, and compared to Gloria Arroyo, he’s definitely the better option in my book.
Let’s also not forget about the local operators. If there will be a chance for massive cheating, then Gloria has been given much leeway for excuses as to why The People of Pampanga will have voted for her. Such reasons and excuses may not be true, but here’s what I would expect from The Arroyo Camp if they win.
“We won because the people trusted me to bring a better life for them, a better economy, increased jobs, and better infrastructure. Randy David only ran because of me, I ran because of Pampanga”.
All I am saying, and I hope this rings loud and clear, to whoever runs Mr. David’s campaign, that they expand his message, and get to the heart of what The Pampanga voters will be looking for. Run on an anti-Gloria but mix it with why it will be good for this district. If he can’t do that, then his chances will not be as good. I have seen the local races end up not being about National issues, even in districts that were heavily anti-Arroyo, I have seen the KAMPI congressman get the victory. If Gloria “won” a presidential election back in 2004, what more a congressional seat in 2010?
He must mobilize his campaign now, procure his campaign funds, clarify and expand his message, he only has one shot at this, and a half-hearted attempt will not suffice.
The David and Goliath story is a good start, it pits good versus evil, but if Randy David becomes a one trick pony, then his political life will be short.
Popularity: 2% [?]
I think Randy David needs grassroots support. He needs good lawyers to help him watch for voter irregularities. He needs an organization and strategy.
More importantly even if Arroyo doesn’t run, I hope he still does.
I predict he won’t get much work done should he be elected. Congress has a way of excluding people who aren’t part of the status quo— and I think we should all realize what to expect. A David victory, imho can inspire others to run for public office and just maybe good people can take this country back, one district at a time.
read my latest plurk.. interesting discussion over there..
My gut feel is Randy will have support from the left-of-center Akbayan Citizens Action Party. Don’t let the name fool you it is a party with a base made up of progressives with leanings toward:
Social Democracy
Pluralism
Participatory Democracy and Participatory Socialism
that’s one practical and realistic view, nick. obviously randy david has nothing else to offer but words and promises. he is definitely not masa and has no real charisma (a la obama). it’s not likely that the people of pampanga will reject gma for a relatively unknown entity – they have never deserted her nor her father. thanks to gma, pampanga has become a premiere province – one of the most progressive in the country. pampangos, generally, know how to appreciate and reward achievement. we need doers and achievers in government and less intellectualism. intellectuals belong more in the academe and maybe, bookwriting, than in governance.
btw, nick, i wonder how manuelbuencamino and patricio mangubat would react to your blogpost being that you were “thrown out of the house” as our alien guest, joe america, puts it.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think David can win, but this is how I think he must do it.
There are those that will of course disagree, and actually, a recent conversation with other bloggers, have indeed put into context the political reality on the ground.
Randy David may actually be right in framing this as a battle for the soul of Pampanga, as Randy knows the area well, he may be very correct in framing it this way.
Of course, it also just dawned on me, through conversing with a few other bloggers, that the economic makeup of the 2nd District will also be a good gauge as to how my suggestion would hold up.
In any case, I also think that if Randy David can muster up a good war chest, he will have a good chance.
The important thing is to have the ability to get his message out, have enough to protect his votes, and the ability to remain as visible, or even more so because he’s basically running against an incumbent (only she holds a higher office currently)..
don’t worry, nick, i won’t get you wrong. but you could still be anti-arroyo and be realistic at the same time. it’s the other “gloria-haters” here that i’m not too sure about. anything you say that would indicate gma has the upper hand would automatically make them think you are selling out. then they will tell you to mind your own business because you are an “outsider”.
scr*w the “outsider” BS.
as a Filipino overseas, I may not be around, BUT, nearly all the money I make is plowed back into the homeland – startup investments into properties owned by the family – a cosmetics and supplements lab, a call center, a billing/claims processing BPO, a beachfront restaurant, a beach farm, a midwifery clinic franchising operation, pain clinic, and majority shares of stock in a cooperative hospital. not to mention the work of finding markets and contacts for products to be sold overseas and vice-versa.
by golly, any developments in the political sphere will affect my bottom line, the business’ bottom line – and the people who work for the business. any obstacle will be dealt with decisively. don’t expect me to be watching mute from the sidelines when my hard-earned dough is on the line. “outsider” or “insider” – it’s my frakkin money and I will not take things sitting down.
one brilliant piece this time BongV. :)
But let’s not also forget, that Pampanga has become the breeding ground for a lot of illegalities, that, I’m sorry to say, does contribute to the local economy.
let’s not be blind that what has been given to Pampanga from The Arroyos is still from government, the appropriation is becoming skewed only because The Arroyos want to remain in power and Gloria plans to run there..
Let’s not fool ourselves, that she’s doing this out of the goodness of her heart, she’s as good and calculating a politico as we have ever seen. We should not discount motives, even if she is bringing sacks and sacks of rice to poor rural areas in that district..
let’s face it. gma is an effective, practical politician. people cannot eat words and promises. they want real progress in their lives, not philosophical dissertations of the “injustices” of the haves against the have-nots. whoever claims that they are their official duty “out of the goodness of their heart”? they do it because that’s what they were elected for. by the same token, they sometimes meet failures not necessarily because they are “bad”.
are you saying that whenever she brings “sacks and sacks of rice”, or release funds for a public project, she has ulterior motives? then, she might as well just sit in malacanang and do nothing. thus, she’s damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t, but only as far as the “hate-gloria” crowd is concerned. the real people who keep her winning would rather have her do her job for their immediate welfare and benefit.
i’ll give randy david the benefit of the doubt – worst case scenario – he’ll wind up doing nothing, like everyone else in the HoR :lol:
It will be a test. If the people has improved in their choice of
leaders. Or just be content to stay in politics as usual. Fr. Ed
Panlileo was elected against all odds. It can happen also to Prof.
David.
RandyDavid candidacy for congressman/Pampanga IS a local affair. A vote by Primer, ManuelB or sparks for Prof David will be cheating.
hmmm.. no laws against financial support from outside Pampanga though. put in funds into his campaign so he can go the extra mile.
UP
No it’s not cheating, it’s meddling. The choice of representative is that district’s to make. I wouldn’t vote in the 2nd district even if it meant certain defeat for Randy.
However I will, if asked, participate in ensuring clean elections in that district. That’s because protecting the people’s vote is a concern for all Filipinos. It transcends local politics.
By the way, I take back my offer to give a thousand pesos to Randy’s campaign. I was carried away by the post I read. I now realize that a campaign donation is similar to a vote.
I will donate my one thousand pesos to my local candidate. That way, Randy will have a kindred spirit in congress.
I will not equate my campaign donation to a vote.
A donation is a donation and is not a vote. It will help fund the campaign and get the message across and convince more voters. I remember a former boss, a contemporary of the Ecleos patriarch. The man hails from from Surigao. He was a Vice Mayor of Lakeland, TN who ran for the US 7th Congressional District in the state of Tennessee under the Republican Party. Filipino-Americans from all over the US sent money to support his campaign.
So, based on that experience, I will send money to David to increase his chances of winning.
bencard,
“thanks to gma,
pampanga has become a premiere province”???
please elaborate.
i’m capampangan, and i go home every weekend.
i’ve yet to see proof of what you’re talking about.
maybe i should have qualified my statement with “but, of course” it’s in the eyes of the beholder”. i’m not a capampangan but my wife is. she has an extensive family tree and many are/were in local big-time politics. we were there for a month last year, stayed inside the former clark air base, toured the magalang/mabalacat area (where my wife has a few hectares of inherited landholdings), almost bought a property at lakeshore, toured the progressive towns of mexico and san fernando, took a quick drive to subic via world-class highways and infrastructure, and talked to a lot of happy, well-dressed, well-fed, healthy “common” folks who have nothing but praises for their cabalen, gma. i may not have the “proof” you have in mind. let’s just say i’m an eyewitness to what i’m talking about.
Ben,
I fear you travel in a different circle than most. I think “well fed” and “common folk” are not consistently and jointly applied to many of the common folk I see and meet.
The Clark-Subic expressway is indeed one gorgeous drive through the hills. Few use it, however, due to the tolls. The highway has a military background and purpose, linking the main air and sea bastions, now being developed commercially. The expressways are superb infrastructure, no doubt about it, and allow those with means to build homes in the suburbs; subdivisions are sprouting all along NLEX. Clark will eventually become a significant domestic/international airport, I think, but development comes slowly, as there does not seem to be much of a middle class.
San Fernando has embarked on a plan to become commercially more ambitious and modern, and with the surrounding homes, has a good shot at success. However, I wish they would deploy modern traffic lights instead of those harrowing U-turns into four lanes of onrushing vehicles along Olongapo Road. The malls are great. There are many car dealers, fast food stores, etc. in town.
The governor of Pampanga (that “Priest”, haha) has turned the Pinatubo sand runoff into a gold mine, but his battle with the mayors is a classic case of the Alamo, with the good Priest surrounded by defenders of the right to mine illicit gambling. He holds up the bag of money that Ms. Arroyo gave him every once in a while, whenever Manila gets a little mouthy. It is drama better than most on ABS-CBN or GMA.
Guitars are making a comeback in Pampanga. McArthur is a congested mishmash of rundown commercial buildings, and through Angelus City, the detritus of American barhopping tarnishes the landscape.
You know. I like the area too, actually. It has its own heartbeat. Manila is close, but somehow far, far away . . .
Joe
joe, my touring of pampanga was not done all in one day, so the “different” circle” you deign to make a point of. btw, how did you know about the “bags of money” that the president hands to “the priest” from time to time? do you have an inside track on the governor? stop making this unsubstantiated comments in the guise of making a joke. or maybe you’re not joking, huh? if so, put up or shut up.
Ben,
He only got one bag. He brings it up now and then, usually when he needs to suggest the Palace back off from criticizing his efforts on corruption. I get my news from the Free Press here, which issues forth quotes of this person and that, which I take to be truthful, if occasionally out of context. Where do you suggest I get my information, if there is a better source? Or do you simply want me to crawl back into my hole?
Joe
nope, all i want is for you to take it easy on those political gossips and, unless you come with some credible proof, it won’t hurt if you clam up a little bit. repeating a lie makes one a liar no less.
It is tempting to help David beat Gloriath but we must stay out of the 2nd district’s politics. We can beat Gloriath by voting for national candidates who offer something markedly different from what she’s been dishing out since 2001.
One can say that’s just an anti-Gloria vote but it’s not because an anti-gloria vote is a vote for something better than her.
MCB:
this ain’t about Gloria.
this is about Randy David. he is a good man who deserves the support.
Randy himself said he it was.
Anyway, if a voter in the 2nd district asks me whom to vote for I will tell him to vote for Randy.
If someone from Randy’s campaign asks me donate a thousand pesos I will give provided he also donates a thousand pesos to my candidate in my district. because a thousand from me for Randy is a thousand less from me for my candidate in my district
bongv, not to contradict what you say but some politicians start in the business as “good men” until they taste power (and money, but of course). not saying that david will necessarily take the usual path but one cannot be too sure.
bencard:
i agree – power has a way of “changing perspectives”.
and you just beat me to the punch when you said randy can turn out to become a more articulate Satur Ocampo, and I may add sans the CPP/NPA/NDF baggage.
if david wins, he would just be another satur, but with more things to say and articulate about.
He could be another Satur or another Gloria. Or he could surprise you.
that, too.
definitely not “another Gloria” – not without support from other congressmen or pork allocation, he will just be a thinker, not a doer. i’ll be surprised if i get “surprised”.
that will be a nice “surprise”.
as a thinker, his sociology experience will be put to good use in crafting egalitarian legislation. the caveat will be randy’s position on liberalization of the economic provisions of the constitution.
yeah, he will surely follow obama’s “spread the wealth around” doctrine through big government controls.
he has those inclinations, but, he is outnumbered by reps who would rather keep the wealth to themselves.
I am curious as to how many of those who have posted here have actually participated in an electoral campaign in the provinces?
Yes.
depends if the province is really a province… or it might be a city that’s being called a “province” because the only city in the Philippines is manila
Indeed, Ms Arroyo has played the game of patronage politics with consummate skill. But if this were all there is to politics, we should not be needing presidents. We should not even be needing legislators. At most we should have only town mayors or provincial governors with enough resources to take care of the material needs of local constituents.
Ms Arroyo is supposed to be president of the whole nation, not of one province. As a Kapampangan myself, who has seen far more impoverished provinces than Pampanga in the course of my travels, I object to the idea of using the powers of the presidency to favor the needs of one’s home province or district over another. But more than this, I object to the idea of short-circuiting the regular channels and procedures of government to deliver public goods and services, so that these may be passed off as emanations of a politician’s personal generosity.
Randy David
Philippine Daily Inquirer
June 20, 2009
And so if Gloria becomes the 2nd district’s representative we will see her favor Lubao over the other towns in her district.
That would be smart politics because it will guarantee her the mayor’s office after she reaches her three term limit as congressman.
And then as Lubao’s mayor she will favor her own barangay over other barangays and so that will guarantee her the barangay captain seat when the time comes.
The moral of the story is there’s a limit to pursuing the “all politics is local” philosophy.
Cocoy,
You sure don’t honestly mean – “one district at a time”, do you?
Manuel,
GMA’s running for congressional seat as a condition to the prime ministership under a parliamentary system is – purposive. The oblique route to ‘power decentralization’ is just part of manuel’s many little satirical posts, is that right?
Primer,
I’ve never figured out how that scenario could work. Too many things have to fall into place…
1. She wins the congressional race
2. She becomes Speaker
3. The House and the Senate agree to a conass
4. Con-ass shifts to parliamentary system
5. New constitution is approved in plebescite
And most important of all
1.The new president belongs to her party.
2. And even if he belonged to her party, he doesn’t decide he wants to complete his term after all.
After June 30, 2010 granting Gloria wins against David, she will be just another member of the Lower House, and a neophyte at that. What if some other politician, as rich and power hungry as Gloria, decides he wants to be Speaker?
Hmmm….”sans the CPP/NPA/NDF baggage”
Might be a bit of a tough one there
He first needs to sort out that Sarah Raymundo tenure mess at his department. If he can’t deal with that, then that would be added baggage to his candidacy.
manuel,
It is easy to think GMA is banned to run for a re-election. And that’s it.
Scenarios have become a vogue and it is Old Media that is the chronic instigator.