Gangnam Style fave in campaign jingle contest

THE upbeat tempo of Psy’s hit “Gangnam Style” blared from several speakers set up outside the barangay hall of Day-as on Sikatuna St., Cebu City last Saturday night, but the Korean musical sensation’s song has different verses and chorus.

“Hey Annabelle Rama/Go go go go go/Ang gipaabot ta/Hey Annabelle Rama/Go go go go go/Kang Annabelle kita,” so goes the chorus.

The jingle promotes Annabelle Rama, the Cebu City north district congressional hopeful under the slate of her cousin Mayor Michael Rama.

“Siyay nakauna sa kanta diri (She is the one who first used the song here),” said Day-as Barangay Captain Rey Ellery Cañada about the political ditty.

Cañada, a Team Rama supporter, said he is holding an audition dubbed as “Annabelle Rama Goes Gangnam Style” for dance groups every Saturday since last Dec. 22 and the final event will take place on Jan. 19.

He said there were eight adult groups that had auditioned, while there were six groups in the children’s category. Each group has members of five persons.

The winners in adult and children’s categories will receive P5,000 and P2,000, respectively. They will also compete against other winning groups in barangays allied with Team Rama, said Cañada.

Hope

In Annabelle’s jingle, the singer portrayed the talent manager as the hope of the people in north district and someone who would always listen to the problems of her constituents. The song also promised she will bring progress in the area.

“Norte distrito oras na sa pagmata/Ari ta kay Annabelle (North district it is time to open your eyes/We should choose Annabelle),” the singer sings.

For Cañada, he is sure Annabelle will not be a corrupt leader for she is already rich.

According to a Supreme Court ruling, the persons who have filed their certificate of candicacy (COC) are not yet considered candidates. Under the said ruling, which was promulgated in 2009, the one who filed his COC is considered a candidate only during the election period, which starts 45 days before election day.

When asked if Annabelle would be a big hit for the north district residents using the Gangnam tune, Cañada said jingles can help a candidate’s name to be recalled by voters easily.

“Kon makadungog sa kanta, makakonek na ang tawo (If they hear the song, the people can feel connection with it),” he said.

In 2010 presidential elections, he said candidate Manuel “Manny” Villar dished out a popular jingle titled “Nakaligo Ka Na Ba Sa Dagat Ng Basura (Did you swim in the sea of garbage)?”

But Villar lost the race to now President Benigno Aquino III because Cañada think the businessman’s funds stopped to flow during the last days of the campaign period.

Views

In YouTube, “Gangnam Style” has already reached over a billion views and Annabelle’s jingle has not yet spread online. But it is viral in the neighborhood, especially to children.

When the traffic lights turned red in the junction of Sikatuna and P. del Rosario Sts., the motorists and jeepney commuters stopped and looked at the six rugged children dancing on the stage.

Some smiled and some did not.

“Strategic ning lugara kay pila goy manglabay diri nga mga sakyanan kada adlaw (This place is strategic for there are several cars that will pass by here everyday),” said Cañada referring to the intersection. “Mao bitaw daghang billboards diri (That’s why there are billboards standing here).”