Voters dismiss fiesta-like campaigning barangay polls as ineffective, annoying

MANILA, Philippines — It’s October. People clad in vibrant colors of green, yellow and orange while wearing festival masks fill the streets, dancing to the merry tunes of a marching band. 

Behind them are throngs of people in political party colors holding liturgical banner-like posters of not saints but ordinary citizens. Dancing. Cheering. Partying.

Around them, streamers and banners beaming with portraits outline buildings, houses, and at times, electric posts and lines. 

Tricycles and motorcycles equipped with speakers boom and blare parodies of hit Original Pilipino Music songs and original campaign jingles.

No, it’s not the Masskara nor Ati-Atihan festivities --- it is the campaign season for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections or BSKE. 

This festive mood of these campaigns, a first for BSKE since the COVID-19 pandemic and after three postponements dating back to 2018, is not sitting well with some voters.

Voters lamented that the "new" fiesta style of campaigning by candidates, which involves marching bands and parades, is just "pure noise” and “hassle.”

“Actually, hindi siya [effective]. Lalo na kapag nakaiistorbo siya ng tulog. More of nakaiinis talaga kasi ang unfair din lalo na doon sa mga tao na nagwo-work-from-home, nagko-call center sa bahay,” said 22-year-old Czarina Macamus, who lives in Brgy. Doña Aurora, Quezon City.

“So, nakabubulabog siya para doon sa mga tao na nagtatrabaho o nagpapahinga lang sa hapon o in-e-enjoy iyong pahinga nila during weekends,” Macamus added.

College lecturer Angeline Pangilinan shares the same sentiment as Macamus. Pangilinan, who teaches at a university in Intramuros, Manila, revealed that she had to mute her microphone in one of her online classes last week since the “campaign bands” can be heard in her online class.

“And it took some time before I could unmute and resume our discussions,” says Pangilinan, who resides in Pasay City.

Mary Rodriguez, a resident of Pandacan, Manila, said the parades organized by the candidates caused unnecessary traffic on already congested roads. She emphasized that it complicated things for workers like her to go to and from her workplace in Makati City.

“Bakit kasi isasabay iyong campaign parade nila sa rush hours? Alam naman nilang maraming nagtatrabaho, so lalong nagtatrapik at nale-late sa trabaho,” Rodriguez said, who has incurred a few instances of tardiness in her work since the BSKE campaign period started last October 19.

Rodriguez lamented that the previous house-to-house campaign strategy of BSKE was better since it did not block road spaces, unlike with the campaign parades today. She said the BSKE election campaigns are worse than the national campaigns last year.

Social media campaigning

Aside from bringing the fiesta vibes to the city, one of the latest innovations of BSKE candidates is the use of social media, particularly Facebook. This digital campaigning, however, drew mixed reactions in terms of its efficacy in wooing the voters’ support.

For Macamus, it is effective: it allows her to know her options come election day.

“Parang barangay hall na 'yong Facebook ngayon kasi noong nag-start talaga 'yong campaign period, 'yong mga friends ko ay puno ng My Day ng mga kandidato,” she said. 

“Para sa akin, effective naman kasi doon mo malalaman 'yong mga options na mayroon ka. Nakikilala mo and nalalaman mo 'yong choices kung sino 'yong pagpipilian mo and stuff,” she added.

But Timothy Daracan, a registered voter in Brgy. Muzon, Malabon City, disagrees. Daracan says social media campaigning has been “ineffective” for him since the Facebook posts do not showcase the candidates’ platforms but only their faces.

“Siguro sa ibang tao effective sila but for me, halos pareho lang e. Kasi nakikita mo lang mukha nila and kasi ‘di ba iyong plataporma pa rin 'yung pinag-babasehan. Kadalasan puro mukha lang, walang plataporma,” he said.

Mark Sequerra, 19, shared that in Brgy. Milagrosa, Quezon City, BSKE candidates are not capitalizing social media in their campaigns. Sequerra pointed out that candidates in their barangay are using Facebook to announce to their mutual friends or even relatives that they are running for a local position.

Traditional campaigning still king?

The traditional campaign strategy of candidates going houses-to-houses, giving away fliers while being backed by their supporters, and jiving to campaign jingles remain king, according to some voters.

Elementary school teacher Lou Galvez says that as much as the parades and bands entice them to watch the candidates, the fliers are still the go-to election paraphernalia that helps voters to decide whom to support.

“Sa mga flier kasi nakalagay iyong kanilang mga achievement, educational attainment at tsaka iyong mga plataporma nila at kung anong gagawin nila sa barangay,” Galvez, also a Pandacan, Manila resident, said.

Brgy. Bayan Luma, Imus, Cavite resident Ciden De Aro said candidates’ posters and fliers remain “relevant” and “effective” in today’s elections.

“Kapag mostly mga poster kasi, mas magkakaroon ng impact sa mga tao dahil mas navivisualize nila at naalala ang pangalan ng isang kandidato,” the 48-year-old De Aro said.

As millions of registered voters exercise their right to choose their barangay officials on Monday, October 30, the results of the elections will be the determining factor if the votes reflect the “ineffective” campaign strategies of BSKE candidates. — Andrea Vargas, Christine Mercano, Lea Punzalan and John Barbon 

This story was produced by second-year journalism students at Lyceum of the Philippines University-Manila for their news-gathering class.