Even before the campaign period for the 2013 midterm election, several politicians, novice and reelectionists alike, are already releasing their campaigns in a subtle way. In general, there are three subtle ways on how these politicians prematurely sell their names for the upcoming election. These are philanthropic acts, sponsorship of contests, and unnecessary involvement in controversies.
1. Philanthropic Acts
Some Filipino politicians in Manila do involve themselves in philanthropic acts, whether or not their intentions are genuine. What is suspicious is that they normally do not announce these philanthropic initiatives, which is good, but when election is coming near, they
2. Sponsorship of Contests
These politicians are not music lovers. They are not the sporty type either. Neither are they fond of beauty pageants. But all of a sudden, since the election is imminent, these political people are sponsoring amateur singing contests, sports tournaments,
3. Unnecessary Involvement in Controversies
There are also politicians who have been quiet the past few years. Then, out of the blue, they appear and express their unsolicited opinions on current issues. Worse, they even involve themselves unnecessarily on the controversies. In order to gain the votes of the people, they have to figure out which side of the issue are the majority in.
These three things are basically what the anti-EPAL movement of Mr. Tado Jimenez are about and against. While there is nothing wrong with philanthropic acts, sponsorships, and commenting on current issues, politicians should not make it obvious that they are just appearing in the scene when the election is imminent. They should stop putting up tarpaulins that are obviously selling their names and faces even before the campaign period. This is no different from a job applicant submitting his or her resume even before the hiring period.