Online campaign scheme

BASIC POLITICAL INFO LACED WITH EXAGGERATION – On the campaign front, information technology-laced efforts had been established to form part of a political candidate’s barnstorming. One glaring example is the May 2013 midterm elections where senatorial contenders have made the Internet an integral factor of their political campaign. Actually cyberspace campaigning has been introduced during the May 1998 presidential elections and the concept has been resuscitated just in time to serve as online campaign sites for senate bets during the midterm polls.
Some candidates notably those vying senate posts maintained at least two or three websites paving the way for the voters of being treated to a distinctive essence of Philippine elections with the introduction of cyberspace campaigning. Candidates, as their wont, are touted in their web page as pro-poor or any other claim purportedly aimed at helping uplift the miserable plight of the marginal sector. Much had been said about who the senate bets are, or what their platform of government is all about. Furthermore, voters can find the webpage service of each senatorial aspirant that contains basic information – educational attainment, personal data, public service record and notable accomplishments, which are of course, laced with hokum and hyperbole.
At the advent of IT, candidates joined the cyberspace bandwagon as prerequisite for their political aspirations. Their webpage service offers a fact-based outline tracing their roots, their educational background, lives as businessmen, local leader and outstanding public servant in an apparent attempt to boost their candidacies. It also lists their other achievements both in the private and government sectors as if to echo their party’s campaign platform anchored on “straight path or reform now!”(tuwid na daan o’pagbabago ngayo na!”) Most of their websites do not stop at the mere obligatory litany of the candidates’ self-worth. They also provide daily updates in the form of press “praise releases” about their activities in the campaign trail.
There are also some “unofficial” sites for reluctant and frustrated would-be voters looking for bits of candidate information in cyberspace. The handful of homepages managed either by individuals or groups are quite helpful in providing general information about the May 2013 midterm elections and the candidates. The different sites likewise offer an assemblage of select news, special features, analysis and other prognostications about the midterm polls. Some sections on the websites also help map out to online readers the configuration of parties, political allies, leaders and wards, legions of supporters and bailiwicks around each senatorial candidate.
Yet another extremely interesting websites are those maintained by independent groups. However, voters should be wary about what information they stumble upon in electronic discussion groups. These websites are crafted to gauge a candidate’s popularity and the image they project and they are also known as survey outfits that thrive on subscription fees. Their job is to identify the issues important to the people as well as to assess the undecided voters. Aside from identifying supporters and followers, candidates are able to pinpoint areas where they are weakest and strongest based on the data the firm able to gather. The election lists and survey results deal with almost the same crucial issues. Voters therefore should weigh down carefully and depend heavily on the online campaign sites.