Team PNoy focuses on ‘message-driven’ campaign

MANILA, Philippines - Far from being elitist as claimed by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Team PNoy members said yesterday that its decision to shun the traditional song and dance routines during their “message-driven” campaign rallies was borne out of a better understanding of what the people want from candidates.

Team PNoy spokesman Lorenzo Tañada III noted that the administration’s senatorial slate has understood from the start that the people should hear the programs offered by each candidate and why the President believes they should be in the Senate.

“It could be that the song and dance routine is a form of escapism, which we do not want to happen,” Tañada said.

Former Sen. Jamby Madrigal, Team PNoy candidate, said that the song and dance routines of UNA are passé and should be seen as nothing but a return to patriarchal and patronage politics.

“You just want to entertain the people and then expect them to vote for you. We in Team PNoy have a great respect for the electorate. Choosing whom to vote for should be issue-based. Let us not bring this down to the level of song and dance,” Madrigal said.

Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo, the other spokesman of Team PNoy, said that the people are tired of the traditional ways of campaigning and want to hear about how the candidates will address the issues that are important to them.

“Our objective is not to entertain the people. Our objective is to be able to reach as many places as we can,” Quimbo said.

“We know this is how we can reach the people. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The sorties are working based on the fact that our candidates are doing much better in the surveys,” he said, referring to the latest Social Weather Stations survey where nine Team PNoy candidates landed in the top 12 as compared to UNA’s three.