THE ONLY WAY TO DEFEAT BONGBONG MARCOS IN THE 2022 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

    

     Before I get into the major topic of the day, let me provide some context for what is really going on with the Filipino voting culture. Yes, you read that correctly: Filipinos have their own voting culture, which means they have their own voting standards.

    I'll be blunt: the majority of people vote for a particular candidate based on his public image rather than his policy. It's not surprising that many well-known and popular individuals who suddenly win the election while having little knowledge of the position they're applying for.

   What is the reason of this? Simply because the vast majority of Filipinos vote emotional appeals rather than rationality. This group is classified as fanatical.

    Try to ask random voters who they are going to vote for and ask them to list the plans and policies of that candidate, I am confident that the majority of them will say, "I am going to vote for him/her because he/she is kind, he/she came from poverty, he/she understands how we feel, or he/she is good looking or famous." However, I am confident that only a few of them can name their candidate's platform thoroughly.

    Believe it or not, this is the truth of Philippine voting culture. Why does this keep happening? Obviously, because political parties and strategists realize and utilize this culture as propaganda, which includes, but is not limited to, name calling, glittering generalities, and plain folks.

  Over the years, we've seen that 'appealing to emotion' has been successful in winning elections, and that detailed platforms and programs aren't enough to evoke people's sympathies.

  Thus, in the Philippines, having a good image and public relations, an appealing to emotion personality (which I believe helped President Duterte win the presidential election in 2016 because of his maangas style, which really struck the so-called fanatical spirit of the people), and dare I say, sound campaign songs can win elections.

     

   While we cannot deny that Bongbong Marcos is now topping presidential polls and that more people prefer him to be the next president, this is merely because BBM is more appealing to the general public at this time.

    To figure out how to defeat BBM in 2022, we must first understand how he came to have the majority's support despite the Marcoses' numerous issues.

     Today, we must recognize that nostalgia is the name of the game. It may sound absurd, yet it is true. According to Merriam-Webster, nostalgia is defined as a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for a return to or of some earlier period or irrecoverable state.

    A candidate who succeeds in making people nostalgic for his previous successes or achievements would almost certainly win the election. As a result, candidates who lack dramatic experience engaging individuals in the past are more likely to lose.

    Among the present presidential race, we have at least two candidates who might create nostalgia in the people: Vice President Leni Robredo and Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos, Jr.

    Why is it possible for Leni to elicit nostalgic feelings? Is this related to his late husband, former DILG Secretary Jessie Robredo? No, I don't think so. Most people associate Leni with the Liberal/Yellow Party, or should I say the Aquinos (despite changing her hue, she is still classified as yellow), and it is from this position that she may be able to evoke nostalgia.

    People, on the other hand, associate Bongbong with his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos, and the Philippines during his reign.

    See, today's game isn't about the candidates' name or his or her current and recent successes, but about who has the most sentimental past in the minds of the masses.

    If that's the case, why is Bongbong Marcos currently at the top of the surveys? And why does the Marcoses' nostalgic appeal appear to be more appealing than the Aquinos' right now?

    Have you ever looked at old photographs of yourself when you were younger? If you haven't already, give it a shot and you'll discover a mystery.

    Seeing your younger photos makes you nostalgic or remember about the past, or as they say, "good old days." You would most certainly assume that these good old days were the perfect times of your life, and I bet you will not or will just vaguely recall the horrible moments from the past.

    When people look at BBM today, they recall the good old days of his father's era. They just vaguely recall the experience of agony and miseries of the past since it had happened so long ago that they could no longer absorb the negative recollections.

    Consider what would have happened if one of the Marcoses had run for president right after Cory Aquino's presidency ended. It would have been a very different scenario.

    Why does the Marcoses' nostalgic appeal appear to be more alluring right now than the Aquinos'?

    Has the Filipino forgotten the democracy they had thanks to the yellows' assistance? Have they forgotten the legendary People Power movement of 1986?

    While I do not believe that the so-called democracy was a success, let's just say that it once clung to the hearts and minds of the people, no wonder why the late President Benigno "noynoy" Aquino III won the election in 2010. It bore some parallels to the present election since obviously Noynoy won not because of his own achievements, but because Filipinos were reminiscing about the yellows' prior victories as a result of Cory Aquino's death, which was, as I said, quite opportune. The death of Cory swayed Filipino sentiment in favor of the Aquinos.

    Today, though, nostalgia is in favor of the Marcoses. I don't think people forgot about the Aquinos' accomplishments; it's only that nostalgia from the Aquino era was leveraged during President Noynoy's campaign. It seemed as though the sweetness of the sugar had faded, and people were now delighting in something sweeter and fresher.

    Imagine if the Noynoy Aquino of 2010 ran against Bongbong Marcos of 2022 in a presidential election, it would be a very tough battle. However, as I already discussed, the ace card was played during Noynoy's candidacy, and the only option now to defeat the Bongbong Marcos of 2022 is to discover something more nostalgic than his father's era. 

    And I believe that there is someone other than Leni Robredo who has a nostalgic appeal and can beat Bongbong Marcos, if the other candidates would give way and realize that this is the only way to prevent Marcos from winning the election.

    Have you heard the song "Lalaban ako sa mundo kapalit ma'y buhay ko, Lalaban ako para sa Pilipino?"

    To conclude, I am not campaigning for or against anyone in this post; rather, it is my personal take on the current political landscape as a Political Scientist.