INFORMERCIAL PHILIPPINES

It will be election time in 2010 in the Philippines. The filing of candidacy will be on the end of November 2009 and politicking already in the air. Politicians are already actively involved with a lot of things, political aspirants are busy campaigning already for themselves. I have made a blog some few months ago saying that politicians begin their campaigns for the next election as soon as they are elected for their present post. this blog is talking of similar story on different vantage point.

The issue of the day is all political advertising. Political advertising this early is now known to be infomercial. Infomercial means to inform based on a commercial ad. This is what political aspirants use to promote themselves in a form of advocacies prior to the official launching of political campaign period for the next election. It illegal in the Philippines to campaign before the official filing of candidacy; but it is alright to advertise if you are not yet a candidate. This makes really sense, because no one can really stop you from advertising whatever product or service that you want to promote. This is a normal marketing practice.

What makes this abnormal is their early campaigning shown on TV radio and newspaper, tri-media, in the guise of informing the public about the accomplishments and plans and programs of the department where the belong to. The culprits are mostly cabinet secretaries of the present administration who have the ambition to pursue their careers to the next level. In doing these advertisements, the government is spending hundred of millions just to place their ads. This is what makes it worse, they are using public funds! These are examples of expenses that are not necessary in times of crisis.

This is impropriety to the highest level. These people are expecting that the Filipinos will give them their trust and confidence come election time when in fact by themselves prior to holding their aspired political posts they already have the tendency to abuse. It is the flaw in the commission on elections that helped this police scalawags to circumvent the law.

They know for a fact that it is not proper to use public funds just to inform the public that they are in service. the messages that they deliver in these advertisements are basic information about what their offices are doing, and the Philippines know that. Should they get elected, they will be the same people who will always be able to find ways to cook the books in their respective political offices and cover up their abuses. If they are able to make abuses in the open, how much more if they are elected when they can already do it in secret.

Do you know how much the informercial costs P298 million (that is $6.2 million)! For large corporation to spend this much, they should be expecting triple for return on investment. But with the informercial's return....none at all.