I visited the campaign headquarters of Bongbong Marcos last November at the invitation of a friend who is close to the campaign. Everyone who was visiting the headquarters or had business to transact at the same, was required to undergo antigen testing prior to entering the premises. One also had to fill out the usual contact-tracing form. Upon entering, no one was allowed to loiter in the premises. Visitors were directed to conference rooms where they were asked to wait for the persons they were meeting with. Physical distancing was required and unless they had to speak, they were requested to keep their masks on.
I said to myself that this was the new normal under the pandemic is endemic environment. But what I noticed then, whenever I would go out, was the fact that it was as if the pandemic had ended. Metro Manila traffic was back to normal and people were going to the malls again. SM wasn’t even requiring having the Stay Safe QR Code scanned for contact-tracing purposes. One only had to undergo a temperature check. I told myself that this was no way to prevent another outbreak considering the Delta variant was in our midst, even if the surge had been successfully contained.
And then the political caravans began led off by the Robredo campaign. Soon, it became a pissing contest of sorts; who had the most people in a caravan. I never thought I would see anything like this in the midst of the pandemic but we are all witnesses to it. Some have even actually participated in one. All in the name of partisan politics. To hell with Covid was the attitude displayed. It was a combination of overconfidence and a general disregard for the minimum health protocols prescribed by the Department of Health. Certain candidates and the public were equally guilty of non-observance of minimum health protocols.
All this with the actual campaign period yet to begin in February 2022.
It is now a month before the start of the official campaign period and we are back to square one as far as Covid is concerned. A new variant originated from South Africa and spread like wildfire to Europe first and then North America. Omicron is more contagious but supposedly causes milder symptons than the last dominant variant, Delta. It has overwhelmed healthcare systems with blazing speed. It has become the dominant variant in the US in less than a month. The unvaccinated are the most vulnerable but it has also managed to reinfect even those in countries with high vaccination rates.
Campaigning in the new normal was the buzzphrase as soon as election fever gripped the country. Publicus Asia even conducted a series of webinars for the campaign teams of politicians. The unofficial campaign period began when the Sen. Ping Lacson and Senate President Tito Sotto declared they were running for President and Vice-President. Their proclamation was a “taped as live” event at the APT Studios where Eat Bulaga held its daily noontime show. It only lasted for half an hour.
Other candidates were already taking advantage of social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok were abuzz with candidate’s content even if they hadn’t formally declared yet.
After the filing deadline for certificates of candidacy’s lapsed, the Lacson-Sotto tandem introduced the hybrid Online Kamustahan where actual participants were gathered in a large venue with minimum health protocols were observed. Onstage was a video screen where candidates joined in via Zoom or they were present onstage to deliver speeches detailing their platforms and advocacies.
This was typical of the tandem’s adherence to the science behind the pandemic and it was to be their normal no matter what the Alert Level was for where their sorties took place.
In contrast, the Robredo campaign kicked off with flurry of caravans and lugaw feeding programs where minimum health protocols were not observed. What was most ironic was Leni Robredo’s platform being anchored on “Kalayaan sa Covid.” As soon as the National Capital Region was placed under Alert Level 2 after the Delta surge was contained, her Covid containment “programs” such as Bayanihan e-Konsulta and mobile Swab Cabs stopped. This was in stark contrast to their advocacy of free mass testing which they had been criticizing the administration for. The gimmickry was designed to create the impression that a “movement” was behind Robredo’s candidacy and not a simple campaign. It was meant to project a bandwagon effect.
By the time the Marcos-Duterte was finalized after much political and family drama similar to a teleserye, their campaign kicked off in Davao Del Norte with a caravan. Soon, caravans were being held left and right as their campaign moved from Mindanao to Metro Manila and vote-rich Calabarzon, particularly Cavite, Batangas and Rizal provinces. This was in stark contrast to the strict Covid protocols at the Marcos campaign headquarters.
The Isko Moreno and Manny Pacquiao campaigns also drew large crowds. Isko for his good looks and the fact that he’s a former movie star and Pac-Man because he was giving out P500 and P1,000 to lucky recipients in the crowd. Obviously, no one in the Pacquiao camp was smart enough to spot the money gun Chavit Singson used before Christmas which shot off P100 and P500 bills to his constituents in Ilocos Sur. It is available on Lazada.
So it wasn’t a surprise at all when the Covid case counts started going up again before the New Year revelry. Despite real-time news at the fingertips with smartphones, the majority went out and behaved like they were newly-released persons deprived of liberty from the national penitentiary. This despite the news of three confirmed cases of individuals infected with the Omicron variant. All three were returning to the country. Since the pandemic began and variants began popping up, reports of this sort from the Department of Health usually served as the unofficial confirmation that community transmission was just a matter of time.
And just like that on New Year’s Eve, Malacanan announced that the IATF decided to place the National Capital Region under Alert Level 3 effective January 3, 2022 with case counts spiking back to the 3,000+ to 4,000+ mark in a matter of twenty-four hours.
The Presidential candidates made the corresponding announcements about the suspension of their campaign activities except for two; Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.
Why Isko hasn’t made an announcement only he knows. Lacson’s cryptic remark “only cooperation with science is key” reads more like an “I told you so” given he is the only candidate who has been consistently adhering to the DOH protocols and Comelec guidelines on campaigning in the pandemic.
It was Ferdinand Marcos Sr. who said “Sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan, Disiplina ang Kailangan.” Filipinos are notorious for not following the rules and regulations in their own country. It remains to be seen what comes next when the official campaign period begins. But it’s clear that the traditional campaign should be prohibited because they are super-spreader events.
But for now, it’s only the Lacson-Sotto tandem which has developed their own hybrid style of running a political campaign in the midst of the pandemic. It’s only they who has presented a cogent governance platform and plans of action while continuing to do their work in the Senate.
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