The Perennial Risks of Election Campaign

Cebuano has this vice of making fun and pun for everything that comes their way, “Bisdak jud” and election season is unfortunately not spared. In this photo taken along Inayawan road, a candidate’s face is obviously defaced. Of course, it may come as election offense, but who would dare to prosecute?

Only in the Philippines indeed, and this problem is somewhat a “suki” in almost every election. This perennial act of defacing a candidate’s face seems to add color to Philippine election.

For example, organizers of contending candidates always have in their campaign schedule “operation pintal”( codename for painting or defacing a rival candidate’s poster), “operation tang-tang” (codename for pulling out rival candidate’s posters or buntings) and “operation sapaw” (codename for inserting a poster of their candidate over the rival
candidate’s poster).

As 2013 mid-term election is fast approaching, candidates’ faces are now festooned along the city streets, distracting our eyes and the clueless “sikad”(three-wheeled passenger bicycle) drivers.

While indeed there’s the glory of seeing your face on the wall for honorable purpose, there also comes the entailing risks. Obviously, defacing a candidates’ campaign material is a condemnable  act but it depends on who’s side you’re asking. To the rival candidate, this may come more than a million thanks to the culprit, but to the candidate concerned, this may raise all fires of hell.

Well they say, election season are the most “dirtiest” of times in the Philippines. At first, this writer begged to disagree (having no experience being handed with money in exchange for my vote every election) but with the posters,flyers and all materials hanging everywhere, this author is starting to believe it more, literally.