Nazarene feast not spared from election fever

Even though the official campaign period for the May elections is still a month away, some local candidates can not stop themselves from swathing the streets and other public places with tarpaulins and billboards bearing their "greetings." The Feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9 is not spared from this self-promotion, as it has attracted efforts by elections hopefuls to get the attention - and hopefully support - of the devotees who will take part in the yearly event.

Posters featuring politicians running for local posts in Manila and greeting devotees a happy fiesta were seen around the city's Quiapo district as early as Monday evening. "Happy Fiesta!" read the messages, along with the politician's smiling face and his or her name in big bold letters. On the other hand, posters featuring the Christmas and New Year greetings of other local officials running in May - including re-electionist Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and vice mayor Francisco Domagoso (a.k.a. Isko Moreno) - were not taken down. A large billboard of Lim's Kapayapaan, Katarungan at Kaunlaran (KKK) remained in place near the giant screen of a drugstore facing the Quiapo Church. The number of posters is expected to multiply in the days leading to Saturday, when the Feast of the Black Nazarene is held. Millions of devotees are expected to attend the yearly January 9 event, trudging barefoot while trying to get a chance to pull the carriage bearing the image of the Black Nazarene.
Veteran PR practitioner Malou Tiquia, in an interview aired over GMA News' "24 Oras" Monday, said this is to be expected during election season especially from local candidates with poor awareness ratings. "Kung ikaw ay walang awareness rating at ikaw ay humahabol dun, lalo na sa local level, kailangan mong itaas ang awareness rating mo para pagdating ng election ay kilala ka ng tao," she said. (If you've a poor awareness rating, then you must exert effort to improve it so that come election day you'll be familiar with the voters.) Tiquia, however, clarified that awareness does not always translates to vote. "In the end, ang magdadala sa iyo ay ang organisasyon (what really matters is your political party)," she said. - KBK, GMANews.TV