Dr. Willie Ong: Social media presence alone does not guarantee victory

Candidates spent billions in their political campaign to score a seat at the Senate, but Dr. Willie Ong took the unconventional route of relying on his social media presence for the 2019 mid-term elections but failed in his bid.

The cardiologist and health columnist had more than 10 million followers on Facebook and over a million on YouTube, but he failed to land a spot in the Magic 12.

The partial and unofficial tally shows he garnered 7,465,070 votes as of Thursday.

On Katrina Son's report for State of the Nation with Jessica Soho, Ong said he learned that followers and likes don't necessarily translate into votes.

"Kailangan positive engagement mo ibig sabihin na pina-follow ka nila kasi gusto ka nila at marami kang likes, konti lang 'yung mga angry sa 'yo, mayroon kasi yung iba na malakas yung page kasi siguro may mga viral may mga biro 'yung may mga kontrobersyal so pinapasok lang sila ng followers para tignan kung anong ginagawa pero hindi talaga sila magbo-vote," he said.

Ong also said it was difficult to win with limited resources.

"Kung titignan mo 'yung mga kanidatong nanalo, karamihan sa mga 'yun, gumastos sa social media kasabay ng paggamit ng pagpunta sa mga tao on the ground kasabay ng TV ads, lahat 'yan tulong-tulong, makuha nila yung puwesto," he said.

"Kung aasa ang kandidato sa gumamit ng social media at hindi siya gagastos, napakahirap talaga ang isang kampanya lalong lalo na kapag national ang posisyon na gusto niyang maipanalo," he added.

The doctor entered the race with a platform centered on the promise of universal healthcare, free check-ups and medicine, and upgrading hospitals.

"Kaya lang ako tumakbo sa pulitika kasi gusto natin tumulong sa mga pasyente natin pero nakita natin na wala tayong pera para tumakbo pero nung nagkaroon ng Facebook, nu'ng umabot tayo ng 9 million followers, ngayon 10 million followers. naisip ko baka mayroon tayong maliit na chance na makalaban na hindi gumagastos sa kampanya," Ong said.

But Ong indeed has a strong social media presence and that he was able to relay projects online, says a sociologist.

"Talagang mataas ang kanyang kapit, malakas ang kanyang tinatawag na social media presence...hindi lang naman social media presence. 'Pag tinanong mo 'yung mga tao, talagang meron siyang ginagawa para sa mga mahihirap," Clifford Sorita, said. — Margaret Claire Layug/BAP, GMA News