Surveys are showing that senatorial candidate Bong Go is ramping up as a force to reckon with in the race for a seat in the Philippine Senate in this year’s elections. Widely-derided as epal (grandstanding) and “well-funded” in Opposition circles, Go is delivering the goods as far as gaining traction in the collective consciousness of the electorate. An analysis of Google search data points to an apparent consistency between conventional survey outcomes and personal interest in Go as evident in what Filipinos search for on Google in private.
Historical search trends across a sample of several of the more, shall we say, controversial candidates over the last twelve months show that Go has consistently attracted the most interest relative to candidates Imee Marcos, Mar Roxas, and Grace Poe. Go seems to be validation of the old public relations truism that any sort of publicity, whether bad or good, is good.
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Perhaps, Go can thank not just the support he’s been getting from his supporters but also the derision he’s been copping from “influencers” from the Opposition camp who have been making names for themselves on social media drawing attention to — and derision against — Go’s campaign methods. Goes to show that Opposition “influencers” aren’t exactly the brightest bulbs of the lot.
More importantly, interest in Bong Go is evenly-distributed geographically across the Philippines compared, say, to the strongest Opposition candidate (Mar Roxas) who seems to attract interest primarily skewed towards his traditional electoral stronghold in the Visayas region.
It seems Go is well-poised to ace these elections if he continues this current trajectory and if he doesn’t somehow fuck something up. The important lesson here is that whilst social media chatter may tell us something about what Netizens are outwardly saying or expressing emotionally about a candidate, the story told by data captured from more private interactions with the Net — like these Google search data we’ve done a quick-and-dirty analysis on above — is often vastly different and more revealing than what social media lets on.
The call-to-action is clear to both Filipino voters and the partisan groups that are pitching one candidate or another. People need to work smarter, be more data-driven, and desist from the traditional shrillness of obsolete approaches to “activism”.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Hint to any politician surnamed Go who wants to be taken seriously internationally: don’t assume that silly Pinoy nickname “Bong”. You have a given name. Use it.
Does he have any concrete policies for the country, or is has he just acquired popularity via the reflected glory of our dear leader?
Well the average Pinoy won’t really be clamoring for policies from the guy, as they’ll be pretty much content on simply knowing him to be the President’s alter-EGO who selfied his way to the top.
That’s pretty much what I figured, zaxx.
Completely off-topic: why do most of our politicians look like the walking dead? That photo benign0 picked shows at least three zombie-apocalypse faces. Are they just victims of the disastrous Pinoy diet, or do they carefully cultivate that sack-of-camote look?
Nah, likely neither and not off-topic at all: it’s probably due to playing BINGO all night over a case of Tanduay, or burning the midnight oil studying Joey Concepcion’s NEGOSYO book on 21 steps on how to …
Missing 8 full hours of sleep each night is the fastest/surest way to look and feel like Bro. Pete’s world war Z.
What about the “du30” embroidered on his shirt? Does he also have a tattoo spelled Duterte on his back and wearing briefs with same ‘logo’?
Ask him directly Robert Haighton. Seems you have an interest and fetish with underwears (and tattoos inside). 😛
You are cringe-worthy foreigner there in the country really.
‘Bong Bong’ was even worse. Like a cartoon caveman baby or a racist’s exaggerated joke of what someone in the developing world would be called, except real.
The shorter the name the easier to remember, and write too.
Which is why Go will beat Poe for most votes in the next elections- what a brilliant analysis! Only in the Philippines
I don’t find any good political agendas, shown by this candidate: Bong Go. “Mar Roxas, seems to be popular in the Visayas”…who would vote for a crook, who stole the Typhoon Yolanda Fund. Mar Roxas together with Aquino, and the crook former COMELEC Chief Andres Bautista, were responsible for the 2016 National election fraud, which made the fake Vice President Lugaw Robredo, got elected…I never see any one prosecuted on the 2016 election fraud. The crook, Bautista is enjoying his loot in the U.S.; Mar Roxas is running again for Senator…only in the Philippines !
Surveys can be manipulated, to condition the minds of the voters…some surveys showed, Grace TraPoe, the , “aso ni Aquino” as the one leading. Some show, Imee Marcos, as the one leading. Some show, “Bato de la Rosa”, as the one leading…
As the Senatorial election is getting close, managed by the election fraud manipulator COMELEC and the HOCUS PCOS, SMART SWITIK machine; we will find other tricks, to make these candidates get our votes and make them get elected !
Wouldn’t put stock so much on the surveys, but he has my vote, only because he has the same goals and agenda as the President and the people on Duterte’s Circle who were fired for incompetency or corruption, didn’t like so much. And one more thing, a request to Benigno and co to do a series of articles on the Philippine election candidates, their party affiliation, programs, records, and agendas, plus the ones bankrolling them. And the current status of the COMELEC and their woeful state.
That’s a huge commitment as we’re more an opinion site than a news outlet or public service. We’re open to contributors who are willing to focus on that sort of blogging… ?
I know, but there seems to be little focus from other media sites other than shilling their own candidates or playing black propagandist, a short TL;DR between Everyone vs Team Yellow would suffice. This blog has been the few places I regularly go for opinions with truth as a focus than big media sites who mask their opinions as facts.
It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.