“Anything important is never left to the vote of the people. We only get to vote on some man; we never get to vote on what he is to do.”—Will Rogers
None of the presidential candidates have presented a platform, except Nicky Perlas. But he can’t get anyone to take his candidacy seriously.
The apparent absence of platforms led the Inquirer’s Manolo Quezon to write “Hi’s and Hellos in Three Stages.”
“Up to now, candidates have been introducing themselves, individually, to the public [who, after all, are also party members and whose preferences influence the party elders]. In November, they will be introducing themselves as standard-bearers of parties with platforms to the same public to form coalitions [that form on the basis of public opinion]. In February, they will be competing with the other candidates to convince voters like you and me, individually, that they, their platforms and coalition partners deserve our vote.”
So it’s not true that there are no platforms. It’s just that the time for presenting platforms only comes after a candidate makes himself likeable.
That sequence may strike some political pundits as doing things ass- backward, but in the real world, that’s the way to sell products.
As a general rule, a salesman has to sell himself before he can sell anything. A disagreeable salesman will find it virtually impossible to sell a product, no matter how good it is.
What holds true for a presidential candidate does not apply to party-list groups. A party-list group runs exclusively on a platform. That’s why in the party-list election, one picks a party, not a candidate. (But it would be nice to get to know party-list nominees because party-lists are notorious for being the last refuge of those who can’t get elected on their own merits.)
The idea that a presidential candidate should run exclusively on his platform may sound attractive, but the ugly truth is a platform can be a Trojan horse. That’s why it’s important to look at the candidate’s character before anything else.
We are now entering the platform- presentation stage of the campaign. So in fulfillment of my duty as a citizen and a newspaper columnist, I checked out what’s happening with the platforms.
Below are my findings:
Noynoy Aquino has a platform, but it was accidentally torched during the filming of his commercial.
Erap Estrada was scheduled to release his platform, but he accidentally spilled whisky on it.
Gibo Teodoro’s platform is ready, but he’s still waiting for Gloria and Mike Arroyo to approve it.
Joma Sison was writing a platform for Jamby Madrigal, but he developed writer’s block when she lost the battle for her aunt’s billions.
Bayani Fernando wrote his platform with pink ink on pink paper so it was impossible to read.
Hermogenes Ebdane’s platform was constructed without going through a public bidding.
Dick Gordon can coin slogans, but he can’t write platforms.
Bro. Eddie and JC de los Reyes handed out platforms written by desert dwellers thousands of years ago, but reporters refused to carry the stone tablets back to their newsrooms.
Manny Villar explained why he would wait for the other candidates to announce their platforms before he makes his public. “We will say the same things…we will have the same platform. For after all, a platform…dadalawang speechwriters lang iyan tatanungin ka. Anong gusto ninyo, three-point agenda, 10-point agenda, 15-point agenda o 25-point agenda.”
Wowowee scriptwriters will write Villar’s platform.
I also looked into the platforms of the vice-presidential candidates. Below are my findings:
Mar Roxas’s platform is to motorize his pedicab because Korina is complaining about having to padyak to Farmers Market.
Edu Manzano did not include Pinky Webb in his platform.
Loren Legarda’s green platform is very sensitive to political climate change.
Jojo Binay’s platform is being reconstructed because Erap spilled whisky on it, too.
Chiz Escudero will not run for any position in the 2010 election. He will now stand on a soapbox instead of a platform.
Popularity: 3% [?]
“…but the ugly truth is a platform can be a Trojan horse. That’s why it’s important to look at the candidate’s character before anything else.”
What a cop out. If you can’t have business plan, at least give me a good resume of achievements. I’m sorry but your candidate barely passed in past grading periods and wants to be/being nominated as valedictorian. Huh?
This from Noynoy, which might as well be the mother-of-all-motherhood statements: ‘Ituloy ang laban!’
Ano daw?
PM,
Are you familiar with the cliche “beware of Greeks bearing gifts”?
That’s the meaning of the passage you quoted.
It’s not a cop-out. It’s sound advice.
I guess it’s difficult for someone blinded by hatred against a certain candidate to see a warning flag right in front of his eyes.
Does your candidate have a platform? A good one? Who is he? Let’s check him out before we hand over the keys to the national treasury.
Who is your candidate?
Ewwww… he who is not with us is against us… why can’t you get over it buencamino? gwabe ka… hehehe.
What about my candidate… Amay Bisaya. His only platform is to be perpetually present on every wakes and burials of KBL politicians. Better platform than Noynoy ain’t it? hehehe…
jet may you and amay live happily ever after
MB,
That is a hilarious accumulation of political zingers. Kudos.
RC
Thanks for focusing on the zingers and not nitpicking like those two old ladies
Candidates dont have platforms because they simply dont understand
what a Platform is. Most of them divert our attentions by taking
along with them Entertainers who can entertain us. To take our minds away from our demands for Platforms.
A PLATFORM is simply a TO DO LISTS of what you will do for us, once
you are elected in office. How will you improve things? What are
your programs and solutions to problems? Like the CHRONIC Squatter
problems thruout the nation. How will you give solution to this? The
Mindanao problem? What are your solutions?
These Candidates dont have any IDEA of what they will do once they
shall be elected. They run for office, just for the sake of running. So, they will run around for the duration of their terms like Chickens without heads. While we run around shouting on EDSA in order to kick them out from office. What a stupid political
situation we have!
Candidates are simply sorted by looking at their CHARACTER
“So it’s not true that there are no platforms. It’s just that the time for presenting platforms only comes after a candidate makes himself likeable.
That sequence may strike some political pundits as doing things ass- backward, but in the real world, that’s the way to sell products.”
please clarify. are you just stating how things are or are you telling us how things should remain?
Goods(Platforms) like what can you do for us must be on the table. Before we buy (vote) for the candidate. If the goods (platforms) are not there. He/She is intendsing to scam us all. We are not voting for the Candidate. We are voting for WHAT HE/SHE can do for us to improve our situations. Are we not voting for people for PUBLIC SERVICE? Not people to entertain us. Nor people who are good looking !
BP
what do you understand by it?
I cannot f****n believe the lack of horror in this site for what happened in Mindanao. A few people get beat up, you flood the blogogsphere with your reactions. 46 people got killed in cold blood and in the most gruesome manner, your own people, and by men armed by the government… and silence. Worse than silence, other topics!
BrianB,
Alright! let the dice be thrown in.
Be careful not to roll snake eyes.
What they are doing is, collecting resources from Fipino Voices.
Being resourceful to what others has commented about them.
They don’t want to jump the gun and crap out.
Gathering intelligent feedback from a mass brilliant minds. It’s a no Brainer.
With the technology like this. Where else can a writer can come up with an excellent speech to present to public.
The idea that a presidential candidate should run exclusively on his platform may sound attractive, but the ugly truth is a
platform can be a Trojan horse. That’s why it’s important to look at the candidate’s character before anything else. per
[Manuel Buencamino]
Hell, they don’t use Trojan Horse any more these days. What they use now days are, convoys of SUV’s with black tinted
windows. It’s faster and quicker to eliminate your opposing candidacy.
I hope you Corrupt Senators, Congressmans and the rest of your Trapos and Cronis are listening well.
Also, let me not forget the GMA adminitrations. I am sure Gibo is doing something about the massacre’s. Or is he part of the Clan.
Not an isolated incident in Philippine political history.
We have other gruesome pre-election episodes, if you look
back. Moises Padilla, Floro Crisologo/Vincent Crisologo
versus Chavit Singson feud , etc…Many unneccesary killings
and murders are littered along the Philippine pre-election
history.
We will never mature as a nation. So long as we have Mafia
like Dynasty families ruling over us. If they cannot kill
us. They kill each other.
Kung noong Ondoy ako nag-diskusyon sa pulitika siguro nagalit na kayo. Kesyo insensitive. Ito ngayon ano ito? Hindi ito giyera, o awayan ng dalawang kampong may mga baril.
Right now I would place our civilization below Papua New Guinea.
If I am being out of line, please explain why.
when the diabolic incident happened, the first site i surfed immediately was filipinovoices. like you i was frustrated. perhaps the event does not worth any space here. meanwhile, a praise for pat in his blogspot.
anyway for developments about the massacre today:
http://www.mindanews.com/
http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20091124093752
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1071:milf-condemns-beheading-appeals-for-sobriety&catid=81:moro-news&Itemid=372
Tama talagang palagi kong sinasabi, lahat ng Pilipino, mahirap o mayaman napaka-tribal.
Bansa ba itong Pilipinas o lokohan lang para magka passport kayo?
Seems to me the fabric of this nation is composed of pretense, hypocrisy and daydreaming… and don’t forget pity from more prosperous nations. And can anyone explain why media groups only ask for justice for the 12 dead journalists? WTF! They would actually sort out the individuals they do care about. Unbelievable. What happened to your college education. Puro rote memory lang ata. Do you people internalize your lessons in ethics and philosophy?
Media asks for justice only for the dead journalists as a gesture to the Ampatuan clan that media do not pick sides. Understandably, takot. In this case, will you be suprised if the media will be happy with two or three of the shooters/rapists surrendered and would let GMA and Justice Department determine what to do with the masterminds?
A picture (not for faint-of-heart)
http://twitpic.com/qpybs
There is a Garci-Ampatuan-Gloria triumvirate dating back to the 2004 elections. The Ampatuans delivered the goods for Gloria’s cheating machine, how would you expect lameduck Gloria now containing the warlord of Maguindanao?
And to think that Norbie Gunggonzales is now the DND chief.
Platforms again?
Hahahaha…
Platforms only work when you have a normally functioning society with normal political parties and normal elections.
Alas, ours is a dysfunctional society with dysfunctional political parties and dysfunctional election system.
As CdQ says, the 2010 elections is an EDSA masquerading as an election.
Better trying than not trying at all. If we just let
Candidates be elected as previously. We will not get out
from our abnormalities. It may take some efforts, some frustrations, and some bunch of cynics. But, how do we know
it will work, unless we try?
And just what was it that reflects Perlas’ platform, matter-of-factly that one manuel buencamino have to miss to even state clearly in the blog since he started off to state that ALL did not have a platform saved for Nick.
Problem here is we continue to speak and discuss of platform without first having to define just what the term ordinarily rightly means to every average mind.
Well then, PLATFORM, as better understood is a public statement of the principles, objectives and policy of a political party. The more cynical view holds that platform equals platitudes.
Realpolitik, as we know it, requires having to fix certain societal problems.
There is that kind of vicious mental attitude having to think of government as a ‘big government nanny state’. Or that some politicians think weirdly such as punishing successful people with high taxes as a matter of ‘socialistic income redistribution’.
Bottomline, we are yet to hear of pro-Filipino platform, an area that perhaps one benigno can discuss in some length in the future given certain drawbacks or ‘editorial policy’ already in place at FV.
This blog of manuel in particular failed to be more intellectually relevant given its vicious tendency to place everything in satire – a menu, when prepared, does not quite yield deeper critical thinking but merely poke fun at every statement that can be made.
primer lighten up
and why didn’t I mention the platform of Perlas?
That questopm is amswered in the second sentence of my article
Fear not, Mr. Brian B, as I step up to fill the void in the blogosphere where true insight on the Maguindanao massacre should have been.
You know where to find me. ;-)
hey benigz, how selfish of you not to share your “brilliant” insights here on FV.
tranquil,
Like many, he is in it for himself, not the community. Guess he is Filipino after all, no matter the barbs he slings at his brothers. Or maybe he is just human . . . but still, I wish for a Filipino COMMUNITY on line, not a bunch of individuals parading their intellect. . . which is considerable, no doubt . . .
Joe
Joe, there are other forums aside from FV you know. b0 is not being anti-pinoy…if you get what I mean :o)
You are right Joe, the Benign is just in it for himself because for him, selfishness is a virtue. His narcissism is so appallingly obvious he actually takes pleasure in it.
Or maybe benigz got banned from publishing politically-incorrect anti-pinoy material on FilipinoVoices, heh heh heh.
benign°,
So vast for the two Filipino’s, that represented Philippines. But yet, the dummkopf Filipinos in his own Country, took it back hundred folds. What a shame…!
Great seeing you again.
so what is the platform to manage this conflict interest and weak rule of law. What’s the purpose of State of emergency when Local police force cannot honestly participate investigations?
Manuel, I love how you’ve weaved this article into a funny riddle. Crazy, I’ve spent months on choosing the candidate I think fit for the position. I sometimes wish it was all down to just two parties. I feel sad for what has happened to the Philippines. I wish the Filipinos will open their eyes and change themselves. Should we always rely to these leaders, a hope that they will pull us from absolution is a joke. Sometimes it takes more than an Edsa revolution. What is hot this season is just the topic for the moment, but we forget. We always forget.
Now you have left me another chance to rethink of my list of candidates. I don’t follow the polls, I don’t follow the Wowowee crowd. All I wish is that the Philippines change for the better, including the people in it.