QUEZON City, Philippines (January 26) – P1.6 billion. That’s what our “presidentiables” spent last year for their advertisements alone, not including the goody bags, pa-payong and pa-tshirts. Only the top four (Binay, Poe, Roxas, Duterte) summed this combination of worth, shelling them out with the absence of campaign period. They even outspent U.S. presidential candidate and mogul Donald Trump, who just splurged $2 million in 2015 (P94 million once exchanged).
The official start of campaign period is on February 9, but as what we can see, “premature” campaigning is rampant on air because there are no laws formed against it. Air here, promote there, they would do anything just to make their politician names ringing.
Power, respect, fame. These are the things that will be bestowed to the one who wins the helm. Spending millions or even billions sure is worth it, maybe because the “one” can take it all back once he/she sits on that chair. I’m impressed where they get all these enormous sums, and how they suddenly become concerned with the people. Elections do change politicians.
A large or small percent of their capital may have come from our taxes, no doubt. We can’t do anything about it, an ordinary taxpayer versus the big politician, everyone knows the result. What we wish for is that, the candidates should use it in a careful and efficient manner. Millions worked hard just to give contributions, we can’t watch them spend it lavishly and carelessly. Promote the truth and explain the solutions to our country’s problems. When won, apply the platforms and do the job seriously, with the compassion to the masses ticking endlessly.
Four months left and it’s the big day. May 9 is the proving grounds if the budgets of the candidates took its effect. Whoever wins, just help him, God.
(written by Rex Felix C. Salvador I, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Lovely Ann Cruz)
