Political mudslinging is a part of Filipino political campaigns as shaking hands and kissing babies

by Roger B Rueda

Philippines politics have become increasingly nasty over the years. In the usual political campaign, consultants and opposition researchers work at the back of the scenes, digging up mud on rivals, gyrating half-truths, scattering overtone, and inciting emotions with hot-button issues—all to win votes.

Put side by side television advertisements for a choice of candidates this election season. Nowadays, candidates seem to fritter more time telling voters how awful the other candidate is, and rather than illuminating on their own main beliefs and proposals, they only try to talk into voters that they aren’t fairly as bad as the challenger. A lot of candidates assault not only each other’s issues, but also assault each other on a private height. They want to lug the other candidate through the mud to make themselves look better.

Every so often political mudslinging may also take in members of a candidate’s relatives. Out-and-out accusations are ever necessary to achieve the target of creating dishonour. One may simply use overtone as forms of political mudslinging. In other words, one does not have to provide evidence that the other contender is fraudulent or deceitful: she/he only needs to lodge that germ.

An adequate amount of political mudslinging can go in front to a candidate dropping out of the competition, particularly if her/his family is being nastily done violence to. Political mudslinging can become so hideous that it can cause a would-be nominee to mislay favour with her/his party. The likely candidate may then have no choice but to let go by, as the party cuts off itself from the aspirant.

Unfortunately, political mudslinging appears to be the imperative rather than the immunity in today’s election climate. Attack advertisements are humdrum, and in effect, their dominance may cause them to boomerang as voters become tired out of these devices. If one contender attacks another, it may make the aggressor look far shoddier than her/his adversary. Off-putting advertisements have a tendency to have as much alarm value these days because the media are also caught up.

A lot of voters in the Philippines are not aware of political mudslinging. For that reason, a lot of voters are baffled: they cannot make a distinction between rumours/ repulsive talk and truth about a certain candidate. Political mudslinging seems to be doing well in our time and it’s still an effectual way to influence today’s Filipino voters, a lot of whom are not worried about the course this nation is heading in. In today’s political ambience, candidates would do well to run on their opponent’s misdemeanours or charges rather than their own documentation.

Well my last word is—don’t vote for mudslingers please! Always condemn negative campaigning. Just let them compete against your television remote control. But pay no heed to them.