THE CAMPAIGN

First-World Techniques, Third-World Setting

The X-Men: The Story of Activists-Turned-Political Consultants

With a Little Help from (U.S.) Friends

Campaigning, Filipino Style

Spinning the News

Half-truths in Advertising

Campaigns on the High-Tech Road

PHOTO ESSAY

The Presidency as Image

ELECTION PERSPECTIVES

Elections are like Water

Between Tinsel and Trapo

The Enigma of the Popular Will

VOTER'S VOICE

First-time Voter

Regular Voter

Non-Voter

Hope and Elections in Payatas

THE LIGHTER SIDE

Making (Non)Sense of Politics

Election Lexicon

Quickie Quiz for the Politically Insane

IT WAS foreign, but there was no better anthem than "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree" to augur Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr.'s return to the Philippines after a three-year exile in Boston. Its opening verse alone could be read as an appeal to his countrymen:

"I'm coming home I've done my time
Now I've got to know what is and isn't mine
If you received my letter telling you I'd soon be free
Then you'll know just what to do
If you still want me."

The next stanza is a metaphor for the anxious returnee who may not find freedom in his homecoming:

"Bus driver please look for me
'Cause I couldn't bear to see what I might see
I'm really still in prison
And my love she holds the key
A simple yellow ribbon's what I need to set me free
I wrote and told her please…."

Ninoy Aquino was assassinated shortly after he arrived in his home country on August 21, 1983. Sorrow and outrage over his death literally changed the nation's political color almost overnight. Marcos had appropriated the flag's traditional red and blue for his Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (New Society Movement). Aquino's widow Cory seized the yellow sun to signal a bright, new hope for the nation. In the run-up to the 1986 snap presidential elections this devout Roman Catholic woman appeared to have the Divine Composer on her side. Between chants of "Laban (Fight)!" and "Hindi ka nag-iisa (You are not alone)!" her rallies were punctuated with "The Lord's Prayer," the "Hail Mary" or a recitation of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. The campaign was turning into a battle of faith and conscience.

Musical expression rode a new surge of unbridled nationalism following the travesty of the February 7, 1986 elections. From the initial appeals of civil disobedience to Cardinal Sin's call to EDSA, "Onward Christian Soldiers" reminded Filipinos the nobility of standing up for what is right. So, too, did "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the U.S. musical "Carousel" that became another opposition rally staple. But nothing could surpass the poignancy of Freddie Aguilar's haunting rendition of a 1920s' poem, "Bayan Ko (My Country)," which would later become the anthem of the first People Power Revolution.

After 20 years in power, Marcos was toppled by a four-day people's revolt. On February 24, 1986, Radyo Bandido's lone announcer June Keithley resurrected the "Mambo Magsaysay" to shore up the morale of those facing tanks in the streets. The next evening her playlist included The Zombies' hit "She's Not There," a send-up to the Marcoses who were then already on their way to exile.

Barely two months later, the Jim Paredes-penned "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo" (official English title: "A New and Better Way") celebrated the rebirth of democracy in the Philippines. Sung by 15 Filipino artists in "We Are the World" fashion, "Handog" was a fitting coda to the greatest political phenomenon of the decade. For several years afterwards, each People Power anniversary would be celebrated with a free public concert featuring many local singers and bands.

Before "Handog," Paredes's group, the Apo Hiking Society, had used political satire to hit the Marcos regime. Their "EtonAPOsila" concert series was a sneaky wink at the phrase "Heto na, pusila, pusila! (He's here, shoot, shoot!)" This was the alleged phrase uttered by members of the Aviation Security Command who escorted Aquino out of the plane and right into a hail of bullets.

A YEAR after the fall of Marcos, the Filipino flair for campaigning had come roaring back. May 11, 1987 was the date for the first free congressional elections in nearly two decades. The raucous song-and-dance atmosphere would return with it. In the race for the senate, a standout was Ambassador Leticia Ramos Shahani's ingenious "Sha sha sha, si Letty Ramos Sha" jingle. Shortening "Shahani" to "Sha" familiarized her Indian surname to voters, and turned a perceived liability into a danceable catchphrase. Her camp also had the smarts to request the Comelec to allow the word "Sha" to count in the ballot.

In 1992, her brother Fidel V. Ramos would jig to the tune of "La Bamba," perhaps to deflect his stodgy and serious image. By then even the vaunted "Cory Magic" was fading; her anointed, Ramos, barely made it over the vociferous Miriam Defensor Santiago who ran solely on an image as a no-nonsense anti-corruption crusader. Santiago's penchant for spewing witty sound bites also made her a media sensation. Elections were now more colorful than ever.

The perfect marriage of entertainment and politics occurred when Joseph E. Estrada became president in 1998. Running on sheer charisma and practically 100-percent awareness from the lower economic classes, it was a no-contest from the beginning. Perhaps a precursor of things to come, the Estrada-Angara jingle was the lyrically inane "Sha la la la la." It was also a tune then senatorial bet Vicente 'Tito' Sotto III would sway to while on the campaign trail, usually accompanied on stage by Joey de Leon and Vic Sotto, who made two-thirds of the Tito, Vic, and Joey comedy team. Campaigning had now hit rock bottom as they became indistinguishable from the noontime variety show like the one hosted the Sottos and de Leon.

Estrada's rivals were determined not to be outdone. Miriam Defensor Santiago's second attempt at the presidency was scored to the symphonic "Star Wars" theme. Her image was now the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker seeking to destroy the evil Galactic Empire and restore order to the galaxy. But it was still Estrada who waddled into Malacañang, which he proceeded to turn into his personal fiefdom. Midnight drinking sessions, crooked business deals, numerous mistresses, and links to illegal gambling would dog him for the next two years.

The beginning of the end for the Estrada government came in October 2000, when Ilocos Sur Governor Luis 'Chavit' Singson publicly accused the president of accepting huge jueteng payoffs and other kickbacks. The unexpected revelation shocked the legislature into action. On November 13, the House of Representatives sent four impeachment charges (bribery, corruption, betrayal of the public trust, and violation of the constitution) to the Senate. Three weeks later, the historic impeachment hearings began.