BOPK "not threatened" by showbiz campaigning

CEBU, Philippines - The Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan will not be banking on show business personalities to win in the 2013 elections.

BOPK mayoralty bet, Rep. Tomas Osmeña, in an interview said he is “not worried at all” that Team Rama will be reportedly bringing movie stars from Manila to campaign for their candidates.

Team Rama’s congressional candidate for the north district, Annabelle Rama, a talent manager, brought along her family and talents who are all showbiz personalities, when she filed her candidacy last Friday.

Annabelle also promised to make Team Rama’s campaign sorties a star-studded event.

But Osmeña said even the famous stars can’t guarantee victory for a candidate, citing the candidacy of then Presidential aspirant Danding Cojuangco (1992 national election) who had showbiz personalities like Sharon Cuneta, who at that time was at the peak of her career, as his endorsers, yet he only emerged fifth among other candidates despite the large turnout of crowds during his campaign.

Osmeña said that although they are “not confident” of a 16-0 result like what happened in 2010, he is still not buying that kind of political tactic. According to Osmeña, bringing in movie stars to a political campaign is “funny.”

The mayoral candidate, however, said they will work harder to get a landslide victory next year.

For his part, Councilor Bebot Abellanosa, BOPK’s bet for a congressional seat in the south district, denied he is getting Coco Martin to help him win in the race against lawyer Totol Batuhan of Team Rama.

“I am Coco Martin already so why would I need him to endorse me. Hehe,” said Abellanosa in a text message to The FREEMAN.

Abellanosa, meanwhile, said that despite the massive campaigning that Team Rama is doing to boost their candidates’ popularity, BOPK is still not threatened.

“BOPK has never been threatened by anybody because the strength of BOPK is with the people,” Abellanosa said.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report “Showbiz endorsers rule in Philippine elections,” discussed the plight and showbiz endorsers of those who ran for national positions in the 2010 elections.

The PCIJ report noted the impact of showbiz endorsers to the politicians’ quest for victory.

“There’s no sugarcoating the fact that in this country, celebrity endorsements have helped many a politician win. In far too many cases even, celebrities themselves have been voted into public office with little to show beyond their showbiz credentials,” the PCIJ report said.

The PCIJ report also quoted communications consultant Fernando Gagelonia, who referred to “transference” as “the fusion of showbiz and politics in the Philippines, which has made celebrity endorsements part and parcel of political campaigns.”  (FREEMAN)