FROM a communicator’s point of view, here are my thoughts on the recent mayoralty race in General Santos City:
Three individuals vied for the position: one an incumbent congress representative; one a punong Barangay and chairperson of the association of barangay captains; and one a media mogul. From all indications, the media mogul’s attention and that of his team was directed at the congress representative believing that she was the candidate to beat. This singular attention was not helpful to his campaign. His team forgot that he still had another competing candidate in the trio. Meanwhile, the congress representative had to defend herself all the time from the relentless attack coming from the media mogul’s quarters.
In the meantime, the punong Barangay, finding herself with all the time to campaign and campaign some more sans attacks and compulsion to defend herself, found so much elbow room to push her candidacy. May I also bring you back to the reality that she was the first one to announce her bid for the mayoralty post. It was in December 2019, if I remember right, when her intent was made public. That gave her sufficient lead time to execute her plans early. In contrast, the two other candidates were indecisive about running for the mayoralty post – until so much later. That for me is critical to the competition.
Then there’s also messaging. I’m sure every team had its own communications specialists to craft their messages. However, in a tight race, one should have considered the simplest, most direct, and easily understood message. It shouldn’t be vague that people still need to discern it; it shouldn’t be negative that people resist it. And during the campaign, if the message or messages are proven wanting, they should be revisited and changed drastically – if warranted. Indeed, crafting messages is not easy.
In my Barangay visits, I was privileged to talk to people and leaders, and I already had an inkling that the winning candidate was favored by the masses. Based on my talks with them, she was a strong candidate. I wonder if the two other candidates had people doing the rounds to feel the pulse of the people. It is important that we are not fixated on our perception that our candidate is solid; it is equally important that we feel the pulse of the people.
Then there’s the subject of the allowances and the aids which to me were done by every party. So, if every local political party did that, the competition wouldn’t be there. For after all, if you really want to use your objective lens, one party obtained the greatest number of seats in the Sangguniang Panlungsod and yet their mayor and congress representative lost. So, it’s not in the allowances and the aids. I would say it’s personal.
I would say the winning candidate declared her intentions early, maximized the opportunities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic to her advantage, and just doggedly pushed her agenda. I couldn’t even recall a campaign message that stuck with me. Meanwhile, the media mogul declared his intentions later although his activities in the Barangays were implemented earlier, directed his attention mostly at one perceived formidable candidate, and his messaging came off negative to many voters. On the perceived strongest candidate, I believe her decision to run for mayor came quite late in the day. Her messaging did not resonate with the voters because, if you ask me, you cannot move forward from an administration perceived to have a lackluster performance. It’s just too difficult to push that. It does not echo with the people.
In the end, even with the weaknesses, their respective parties and machineries delivered. However, since it was a three-corner fight, the preparations should have focused on that complemented with the right messaging, a genuine survey of the public’s pulse, and if I may add, your personal charism.
Coming from a vantage point, my communicator’s lens was sharpened because of the recent political exercise most especially that I participated in it. In these elections, my training is proven right: clear messaging is crucial in any campaign – positive messaging is still preferred; running should be personal – no one should piggyback on your performance – it turns people off; and objectively listening to people’s feedback whether subtle or direct during the campaign process – it allows for reassessment and a change of strategy.
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Writer can be reached at belindabelsales@gmail.com. Twitter @ShilohRuthie./PN
