Blind campaigning

WELL, it does happen, going out into an unknown terrain without first studying the contours of its history. This is what I call blind campaigning, as it did reportedly happen to one of the Liberal Party (LP) senatorial candidates last Tuesday. I think it was a great shame, if I am to believe the report of the other Cebuano columnists.

I read about what transpired during the LP rally last Tuesday, and I was rather irked to know that the Cebuano voters’ respectability was downgraded. Anyone who read my column the other day would know that I talked about the rally’s venue at the original site in front of the Talisay City Hall, but the sortie was later moved to Tabunok and caused a devastating traffic jam.

Yes, it was a calamity, but it could hardly be blamed on President Noynoy Aquino and the LP since it was not part of the overall plan. It was caused by unexpected circumstance, and if you want to place the blame on anyone, well, you can take your pick. But flippancy aside, the matter is part of the risk and the luck of the occasion.

I think, though, that what the lady “senatoriable” did, joining the LP meeting without being well-prepared, was truly careless, a factor against her candidacy.

In a sense, if we talk about blind campaigning, I might as well also point out that there is also such thing as blind voting. On this wise, I think the Cebuanos could not be faulted as being blind voters.

For if they were, they could have voted blindly for motion picture heroes. As columnist Cheking Seares said in his column the other day, even good old Joseph Estrada lost in Cebu, how much more for Fernando Poe Jr., who did not even have ground level workers or campaigners?

Oh, come on. Grace Poe-Llamanzares must have been dazzled by her father’s movie star popularity she thought that all, if not most people, would be attracted to his name without taking into consideration other features, such as skills in public administration or management, which is far different from emoting or brawling before a camera. Having a fast fist does not necessarily mean having a quick wit.

But let us be Christian enough to forget some personal lapses among those who want to try leading this nation to move to better times. We are a country of many islands and many minds and hearts, as we are also a nation of hundreds of opportunities to know how to rise and grow and become developers of different niches where we could make our lives meaningful.

Indeed, campaigning blind during an election is quite a risky undertaking, too.