The senatorial candidates' ads on TV or on posters and billboards are all either stupid or deceitful.
There is, of course, a whale of a difference between stupidity and deceit. In stupidity, the creators of the political ads are just plain unthinking second-rate, trying hard copycats (to borrow that immortal line attributed to Cherrie Gil). They are simply simpletons or nincompoops, lacking in sophistication and artistic maturity and discernment. They do not use their coconuts perhaps expecting the voting populace to have no brains like them. On the other hand, the purveyors of deceit in political advertisements are the more scheming, shrewd and are openly and glaringly motivated by evident premeditation to mislead their audience. Their subjects are obviously tainted with corruptions and grafts, and yet, they embellish them with laces of lies and deceptions.
Stupid ads result from lack of sufficient discernment, and of reckless assumptions, thriving presumably on false expectations that the electorate is a community of brainless robots who can be easily hoodwinked, mesmerized, and enamored by some sketches of stupidity. These people in the advertising agencies should be ashamed of themselves and they should be disowned by their more professional peers and colleagues. Their only saving grace is that they are without bad faith, malice, or any taint of evil intent. They are just plainly lacking in skill, foresight, and deep analysis. But the deceitful are the most reprehensible and despicable. They try to cheat the people of the truth behind their candidates. Their bets therefore should be exposed, unmasked, then rejected by the mature voting populace.
For instance, there is a candidate for senator whose only obvious claim to be re-elected is that she has a dark complexion, and that she cannot be seen at night. What does that have to do with the leading problems ailing the nation? What is the relevance of her darkness to the poverty of the people, including the urban settlers in the city dominated by her family where her father, mother, brother, and sister have been mayor? That ad is an obvious appeal to emotions, begging for the sympathy of the dark-skinned people. That ad is both stupid and deceitful. It has no respect for the intelligence of the Filipino voters. Another candidate's ad showing some formerly distressed OFWs who were allegedly given a second chance by a senatorial bet, who is facing a plunder charge. That candidate has not done anything for the migrant workers. That ad is filled with deceit.
In her ad, another female senatorial bet is making ''yabang'' about the windmills in her northern province where she was the governor. She claims to have the solutions to all problems regarding food, agriculture, and livelihood. But her family has been a political dynasty since the 1960s. If they have the solutions, why is the country even poorer now after father's too-long hold on the reins of government? Her mother, brother, and other relatives have been in power for the longest time and the people suffered so much under their graft-ridden regimes. Another senator puts up this ad claiming that she is the champion of farmers and housewives. But her family has transformed the farms into low-cost housing subdivisions. This ad is misleading.
The only ad I like is that of Serge Osmeña. It urges people to research, to know the candidates more, by suggesting “I Serge mo.” That is neither deceitful nor stupid. Serge is a brilliant ad master. That ad shows respect for the voters. It encourages discernment and informed judgment. I think we should support Serge. He is the only Cebuano who has a chance of becoming a senator again.