How truthful are those political ads?

By William M. Esposo (The Philippine Star)

This current presidential campaign has proved the immense impact of political TV advertising. Look at what Manny Villar’s reported over P1 billion advertising spending did for him — placing him in a statistical tie (Pulse Asia, January 2010) with Noynoy Aquino who has been leading the presidential race since entering it last September 2009. Villar had outspent Aquino by a ratio of 5 to 1 in the fourth quarter of 2009 according to the AGB Nielsen Monitoring Report that was announced last Thursday.

In the case of Manny Villar, it is not just the obscene level of advertising spending that ought to be questioned but the content of his ads as well. Those checks in one of his TV ads proclaiming the many so-called accomplishments and generous acts of Villar should be verified and proved.

Villar’s claim of being born poor is refuted by his own online bio. His online bio stated that his father was employed by the government while his mother was a seafood (shrimps, crabs and fish) dealer in Divisoria. In the 1950s, when life was easy, an employed father and a seafood dealer mother (not fish vendor) would suggest a middle class standard of living.

True enough, Villar took elementary schooling at the Holy Child Catholic School and High School at the Mapua Institute of Technology — both private schools. We know that the poor can only send their children to public schools. There were a total of 11 in the Villar family and yet by Villar’s own admission in his earlier TV ad with Boy Abunda interviewing him — they used to eat canned corned beef. With the minimum wage at P2 daily in the early 1950s, how can a poor family of 11 eat canned corned beef which costs around P1 per can?

Many are asking if Dolphy really knew Manny Villar that well to be endorsing Villar’s integrity. If the ASC was in place, this could be challenged. A good friend texted me this joke: “Dolphy announced that he did not endorse Manny Villar’s integrity. Dolphy explained that he is a comedian and his job is to crack jokes and make people laugh.”

Villar is not alone. The most recent Joseph “Erap” Estrada TV ads are making it appear that the 1998 Estrada presidency was the epitome of Philippine peace and prosperity. Unless, your Chair Wrecker’s memory has been affected by several operations undergone from 2002 to the last one in November 2009 – the Estrada years were the exact opposite of what his TV ads are projecting.

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