“(E)ven the administration party, the Lakas-Kampi CMD has yet to give financial support to its candidates. ”
by Ducky Paredes
Even as the El Nino weather phenomenon is drying up farmlands, waterways and reservoirs all over the country, another kind of drought is hitting candidates for political office, less than 3 months before elections.
Late last week, in a sortie in Nueva Ecija, which is considered the nation’s rice granary, former president Erap revealed that financial contributions to his campaign for the presidency were coming in trickles, in effect, drying up his war chest. “It’s a little different then than now. As you know, the economy is bad.”
That the economy is bad is not news. It’s the same situation in most other countries. What is actually different is that in 1998 when he first ran for president, contributors were falling all over each other, scrambling to donate to Erap’s campaign kitty. The reason? Everyone was certain that he’d make mincemeat of his rivals (and he did, winning over Joe de Venecia and Raul Roco by the biggest margin in electoral history). It got to a point that shortly before the elections, Erap cracked to his close friends that he would have to start turning down offers and returning contributions in order to shorten the list of those he’d owe favors.
These days, not only is Erap not the survey leader, but contributors have become wiser and wilier. In the 2004 presidential and the 2007 local elections, campaign donors waited for survey results a month before actual elections to check who the llamados were. That’s the only time they began pouring in money on their bets. Those on the borderline of winning were given token amounts.
But what this year’s candidates are experiencing is worse than the situation in previous elections. This time around, even political parties have been, in the words of one candidate for national office, “excruciatingly slow” to provide funds to those running under their banner.
For newly-established or registered parties, that is understandable, even expected. What comes as a shock, however, is the report that even the administration party, the Lakas-Kampi CMD has yet to give financial support to its candidates.
Save for its standard bearer Gilbert Teodoro who, we understand, has had to use his personal funds to cover the cost of advertising production and placements, and maintaining a campaign staff, the rest of the candidates have had to make do with “petty cash.” Local candidates have reportedly been banging on the doors of the party headquarters to ask when they can expect some substantial amount of help. The standard reply they get is, “Wala pa.”
It does not come as a surprise, therefore, that the party’s candidate for vice president, Edu Manzano, has yet to hit the television screens with any commercial. We are told he has a couple of spots on radio but with limited frequency. The party’s six candidates for senator do have TV commercial placements but they’re few and far between to make any appreciable impact.
More than trying to get the answers from the usual contributors, the administration party should perhaps ask its unofficial head, President Arroyo what her game plan is. All this uncertainty about financial support to her party gives credence to rumors about an Arroyo-Villar tie-up.
Noynoy Aquino’s camp isn’t exactly wallowing in campaign cash but the bid to try and match Manny Villar’s advertising juggernaut is reportedly taking a toll on his personal and the Liberal Party’s resources.
“If you don’t have billions to spend, you shouldn’t even be in the presidential race.” That statement has been, correctly or not, attributed to Senator Villar, the only one who has the right to say something like that. Could be true.
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We have letters: “Read your article, and we have a similar circumstance in the state of California. As you know this is election year where we will replace the “Terminator” in November. Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay plans to spend her own money, in the tune of $150M, against traditional party rivals, supported by funds raised by others. This week, it appeared to have backfired, and several non-profit groups are banding together to raise equal amounts for rival politicians to even the playing field. The sole purpose of the funds is to match her buying power, etc. for rival gubernatorial candidates. Wouldn’t it be great if we had something like this back home ? — Joe Gamboa
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Ha, ha! That won’t happen here; it can’t. We don’t have anyone who can match Villar’s billions!
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Your are right with your column sir. Personal interest is included of Villar’s candidacy, If he wiil win, he will be the richest man in the Pinas. He will surpass Henry Sy, How pity the Pinoys esp. in the provinces, He will convert the farmland to subdivision. There will be shortage of rice, When he was senate pres. he used his influence. How much more if he becomes pres. – Kulokoy Peps
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I keep hoping to see good in all the presidentiables; but it is getting harder to believe that some will still be a good president considering the black propaganda that some are spreading about their fellow presidentiables. Tsk, tsk.
Believe as the Buddhists that when one points a finger at another, four are pointing at yourself.
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hvp 02.22.10
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