INQUIRER.net Eleksyon 2007

Poll watchdog turns to jingle to get message across

Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- If candidates can do it, election watchdogs can do it better -- use jingles to court voters, that is.

Organizations have banded together to promote clean elections and they’re doing it using a song whose theme is: Voters should not sell their votes and they should vote with their conscience.

Groups that attended the Philippine Election Forum (PEF), a multi-pronged interagency effort to protect the electoral process, have come up with a jingle advocating a values-oriented vote among the millions-strong electorate that will troop to the polling precincts this May.

Envisioned to take on the airwaves, television and public assemblies (and karaoke?), the two-and-a-half minute jingle spells out its message in four letters: A-S-I-N or “Ating Siyasatin Ihahalal Natin, Ang Suhol Iwaksi Natin.”

In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Virgilio Hernandez, PEF secretary general, explained the jingle’s message: “Every one knows how important the election is. [The jingle] is a reminder to all that voters should not be swayed by money, influence or power. Voters should make a choice based on the performance of candidates or what they can do.”

The ASIN jingle was composed and performed by volunteers from the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), among the several organizations that stepped up for the election monitoring effort, touted as the biggest the country has seen yet.

“It would be good if children could learn the jingle and start singing it to their parents so they will be reminded [to vote with their conscience],” said PCEC’s Rev. Jonel Milan during the PEF plenary session held recently at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay City.

The jingle, which has Filipino lyrics and is performed with a mid-tempo groove, will appeal to any audience, even those below the voting age.

Here’s an excerpt: “Let’s analyze those we will vote for. Toward change, choose the right person, one who is ready, one who will serve sincerely, one whose only aim is to move the country forward. Let’s reject bribes. Clean and peaceful elections is victory for the nation.” Tarra Quismundo

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