Politicians online: A one-way street?

While pondering the state of Philippine politics several days ago, I decided it would be easier to make sense of the muddled mess by turning to those in the know. “So," I asked Manny Villar and Rodolfo Biazon, “What should we do about Gloria the minute she steps down from office? Put her on trial? Drag her over hot coals, eh?" *in the distance, a group of crickets strikes up a chorus*

Okayyy. I figured maybe a little small talk could get them to lighten up before hitting the big issues. I turned to Mar Roxas and commended him for his mastery of the Internet. “Dude, it’s great that you’re reaching out to people this way. I mean, just look at your tweets." *a brick wall rises out of nowhere* And those are just a few examples of the responses I got from several politicians I tried to engage in conversation via e-mail, and by responses, I mean, no feedback at all. Maybe the email addresses I found on their Web sites were all for show. Or perhaps I went about it all wrong and should have asked them something more scandalous instead, like “Is it true that you like dressing up as BB Gandanghari and go clubbing at night? Someone saw you, I have pictures." If that doesn’t make them spew coffee all over their laptops and prompt them to type out an outraged “What is the meaning of this??" I don’t know what will. Assuming that it’s even the politicians themselves who update their sites, Facebooks, Twitters, and answer to (or in my case, ignore) e-mails, of course. Our most popular politicians have never been exactly known for their technological savvy. Witness Bong Revilla during the hearing on Hayden Kho’s on-cam adventures, asking Hayden what software he used to create his sex videos; a confused Hayden said he just hooked up his camera to his computer using a USB cable. Then there’s Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who proposed that the Internet be censored. In fairness to the woman, that was way back in 1997, but hark at her official website today, which is nothing more than a Blogspot blog that her team didn’t even bother redesigning, and tell me that she’s queen of the Internet. Someone once had the bright idea of empowering security guards at the MRT to confiscate any CDs from passengers, a decision clearly made in the throes of anti-piracy frenzy. At the height of the "Hello, Garci" hoopla, Arroyo’s fanboys wailed that whoever spread the audio files must have been richly supported and funded by the opposition; not only were they so out of touch with reality that they think their overlord is beyond reproach, they didn’t think that anyone with a brain, an Internet connection, and a CD burner or a flash drive could easily have copies of those sordid conversations. And yet, somewhere along the way, these politicians thought having their own sites would be a brilliant idea. Some of our politicians have had their own websites since the late 90s, which were mostly found on free webhosts (those were the days of $70 domain names), showcased atrocious design, and served as nothing more than an online billboard. Nowadays, our politicians’ websites have a wee bit more personality. For starters: memorable domain names. Most go with the requisite www.theirfullname.com.ph, but others like to play up their nicknames, like www.kiko.ph, www.kabayannoli.com, and www.noynoy.ph. Today, you can at least see some faint stirrings of activity on these websites. Chiz Escudero has been pretty good with blog posts on his site, though they sound too robotic and impersonal. Pia Cayetano’s site is regularly updated with press releases, and Jamby Madrigal makes some effort with sporadic updates, although her site commits the Web design crime of using Times New Roman. They’re not the best examples of an up-to-date and interactive website, but they’re better than other sites stuck in the bog of the early years of the millennium. Noli de Castro’s site prominently features a coding error near the top of his page, gives away its age with a 2004 copyright, and recommends a resolution of 800x600, Internet Explorer 5 and—wait for it—Netscape 6 (which everyone else pretty much abandoned when IE4 was rolled out). The news section on Loi Estrada’s site is linked to the now-defunct www.erap.com. Rodolfo Biazon’s site makes an earnest effort, but appears to be put together by a newbie Web designer and the end result was given the nod by someone who thinks it’s enough to just have something, anything on the Internet. One thing that hasn’t changed much is the websites’ sheer indifference to feedback. Those e-mail addresses you see? And those contact forms? That’s all for show, people. Write to them and wait weeks for a response, or sit back and watch awestruck as your messages bounce back to you instantly. Message boards and guestbooks also fool you into thinking that you can really get in touch with politicians, when you’re really just talking to fellow supporters with no intervention from a moderator and nary a peep from the politician him/herself. Worst of all, some message boards don’t even work, like on Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s site—which shouldn’t be a surprise, given that she hasn’t listened to anyone for the past eight years. What are the chances of her checking her own website and realizing that there’s no way for people to get in touch with her? Or could there also be a fear of virtual pitchforks? Thankfully, their websites aren’t the only places for people to spot politicians online. Everyone’s been jumping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon, and some politicians seem to be enjoying it. Mar Roxas, that master of image-building, tweets practically every day and has both a personal and a fan page on Facebook, and he even invites people to leave messages on his personal page (which I did, incidentally, and have yet to receive a response). Pia Cayetano’s Facebook is unavailable to non-friends, but her Twitter is always buzzing, and it’s a great way to find out what’s on her mind; check out her tweets about yoga, biking, her family, and her rants about the government, and she even responds to people who mention her in their tweets, although you can’t send her a direct message, since she’s only following 20 people. Contrast that with her brother Alan Peter, who doesn’t even have his own website. Edgardo Angara looks like he’s having fun on Facebook, posting photos and joining groups like “I Support the Reproductive Health Bill" and “Melo’s - Home of Certified Angus Beef and Wagyu." Other politicians have also been making use of other sites as well. Loren Legarda supplements her official site with her Multiply, where people take the opportunity to praise her and invite her to events, and Roilo Golez— just call him Congress’s Youtube sensation, because he’s as Youtube sensational as any congressman could hope to get. His channel, Go Go Golez, is updated almost every day and has over 500 videos, which mainly show him at work, whether he’s at a congressional hearing, attending a Facebook EB (eyeball, for those not in the know) against Con-Ass, making the rounds of his district, visiting neighborhood wakes, and even just walking in the rain. Sure, he has only 11 subscribers, but you have to admire his persistence. It’s always fun to see politicians being so seemingly accessible and human online. It actually makes them look more like they’re One Of Us instead of the rotten government scoundrels we all see them as. Not everyone is buying it, though, and for many people, politicians’ websites don’t really give them anything useful and informative, and their social networking accounts are just another way for them to subtly campaign and win the hearts of people. Utmost sincerity would be too much to ask, but perhaps little details can change the image of politicians who don’t care what people have to say and just want our votes. Responding to e-mails would be a good start.