The whole debate surrounding Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto has nothing to do with the quality of his governance. That too, nonetheless, is debatable but is better off left to another article for another day. Here we will discuss the trouble with the disproportionate amount of media exposure Sotto is getting.
Vico Sotto is making waves because he targets an easy space in the political chatter — “for the people” sloganeering. This is classic Philippine political posturing and the reason why squatters and jeepneys continue to infest the Philippines’ biggest cities. “For the people” rhetoric is a compelling emotional blackmail that most Filipino “thought leaders” are intellectually ill-equipped to argue against. This coupled with a penchant for playing to the media (and, the media, playing to his performance) makes for a potent public relations (PR) machine.
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Debatable as to why Sotto attracts all this attention may be, the fact is, Vico Sotto is a member of a powerful entertainment and media clan. This fact alone makes the amount of exposure accorded to him suspect. Even the Yellowtards (the dominant Opposition bloc loyal to the Aquino-Cojuangco clan) recognise the favourite Filipino word that encapsulates the underlying theme here — delicadeza. Roughly translated, the word refers to the notion of inhibiting from a situation where one is at risk of being embroiled in a conflict of interest.
It is therefore easy to see why media would favour Sotto when allocating expensive air time. Though debatable that they consciously do so, the argument that their business model (maximising viewership to maximise ad revenue) predisposes them to that end is very compelling. In that alone, it can be concluded that Vico Sotto enjoys an unfair advantage over other politicians considering that elections are won and lost on the back of the whims and favours of Big Corporate Media.
Even more subtle is the idea of quiet achievement — something that is far more likely to fly way above Filipinos’ and their thought leaders’ heads than Sotto’s media conflict-of-interest angle. Celebrating a politician who celebrates himself in collusion with the media is just not classy. Understandably, Sotto’s youth makes him a part of the Selfie Generation — an entire demographic that came to age regarding just about every minutiae of every minute in one’s life as a media event.
Perhaps Vico Sotto should consider a simple principle of professional public administration: More public service and less public relations.
A true achiever’s work speaks for itself. The true test of how well Sotto performs as a government official will ultimately lie in his ability to show lasting outcomes from his work. Will his legacy be in that lasting work? Or will it be in mere archived video footage and social media footprints (such as Twitter hashtags and mentions of his name) alone? A true public servants builds things that outlast his or her term of office. Sotto’s posturings captured on video and news reports may outlast his term. But it remains to be seen whether what he is doing for Pasig City will be as enduring.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
He’s obviously using the Yellow Formula – toot your own horn. They’re hoping it would work. I’m hoping more people are smart enough to see through that.
Well, let’s see if he could win on 2022 election after this stint. Meanwhile, Quezon City mayor Joy Belmonte made a “hate” message to her haters that if they don’t like her services as a city mayor then they should not vote for her in 2022. Let’s see who’s gonna win on that year’s election. Matutulog muna ako at gisingin nyo na lang ako sa taon na yon. Goodnyte! ?
Sotto sure has the benefit of a troll army online, Belmonte doesn’t seem to. lol
Been busy for the last few weeks because of pandemic scare is affecting business, but I wake up to the fact that his supporters are fighting “Hate Speech” and “Fake News” in Social Media by banding together and reporting en masse everyone critical of him, I’m waiting for him to say that this is wrong or he’s playing dumb and blind while the likes of Rappler will downplay and approve of “Duterte Trolls” should lose their Free Speech and ability to communicate to a large audience.
Them trolls are so stupid that even Inday-Espina Varona called for them to stop.
im telling you. di malayo si Vico will be under the Yellow party in the future.
Whatever it is that Vico Sotto is doing for the people of pasig as city mayor is his own business. Whether or not the media decides to give him airtime for that, that’s their own affair and not his.
He doesn’t even takes advantage of his relation with his showbiz side just to seek airtime (so far) by playing a game in Eat Bulaga unlike GRP’s “revolutionary mayor” who has done it not once, not twice, not even thrice…
Vico just happen to be lucky as a Sotto and that delivered him votes. But after that, his affinity with Vic and Connie has nothing to do anymore with what he’s trying to do as mayor. It’s something not different for neophyte politicos like Bato or Go though lacking the pertinent skills and experience of a national lawmaker getting elected by the power of endorsement of popular president.
If a politician, is showing his works and some accomplishments, with the fake news media in tow: it is a suspect that , he is targeting/interested for a higher position in the next election….the “for the people” political mantra, is actually: ” Fool the People”…
The Sottos are entertainers and comedians. They are Show Biz people; and they want to mix politics with show business. Most Filipinos are dumb, not to see this kind of political trick and political manipulation. The YellowTard fake news media is always there to cover and sing accolades to the politician’s accomplishments.
It has been done before to fool the people… it is being done now to fool us again …
I have a good question: Did these Show Biz politicians made a difference in the progress and solutions of problems of our country ? The question is yours to answer !
Try listening to what the young mayor has been saying. You might be misreading between the noise and the signal. The guy could draw more attention to himself if he wants to. Why is it that almost everybody tend to get dragged into these distracting debates.
Regarding Vico, for me, the main issue is if he is doing his job. If he is, then media can choose to show that he is, as long as he actually is doing his job.
Whether or not there is a “Vico PR team” behind it is something I will just put on back burner.
For the media, just expecr them to try and balance reporting on those doing their jobs (frontliners and the politicians of thei respecting municipalities).
I don’t really see the point right now on seeing it as grandstanding, as long as he does his job.
I leave it to the populace to judge him for his actions or inaction.
Vico is a great leader.
Just this weekend, he closed down a Chinese restaurant operating without a permit in the city. Last year, he saved Php 150 million through ‘open and honest-to-goodness public bidding for the city’s goods and services’. And in the current coronavirus crisis, he’s more than delivered, showing good risk assessment skills.
He’s also less of a show-off compared to another revered mayor in Manila, ditching vlogs for run-of-the-mill Facebook posts.
Sounds like a praise release to me, lol
@kemedora:
Like Kim Jung Un of North Korea ,”the Great Leader”….Cult of Personality being used by Sotto’s public relation team …
The “Cult of Personality” political tactic was invented and developed by the late Italy’s Fascist dictator , Benito Mussolini. It was borrowed by the German Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler of the German Nazi Regime. Then, the Soviet communist dictator, Joseph Stalin, borrowed it from Hitler…it was then used by China’s Mao Tse Tung; Cuba’s Fidel Castro; North Korea’s Kim Jung Un; and the late Cory Aquino; Lugaw Robredo, etc..
It is now being used by that idiotic Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto…and other Filipino politician to delude you and take your idiotic votes !
GRP thinks it’s some kind of gimmick but everyone’s doing it somehow, including the president.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2747580761985339&set=pcb.3627781677293062&type=3&theater
@chinee:
That is why you must use your common sense,if you have any; so that you will not fall into these politicians’ political gimmicks…
We have been deluded by these idiotic politicians for many years already…we have not learned any lessons anyway !
… and also the fake vice-president!
https://technology.inquirer.net/files/2014/12/Leni-Robredo-1211.jpg
If you are honest you will write something like this about duterte also. What is his speeches if not grand standing constant campaign rallies even though he is already in position.
Lol. If we are honest, as we are now, we write what we write, not what you want us to write.
Are you saying that duterte has never done any grandstanding?
We’ve already had our pieces before about Duterte. Vico is the new and current issue.
When GRP started this, we are reminded when action speaks louder than voice…
This IS Real Face of Grandstanding!!!
https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB11z5pW.img?h=716&w=1152&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f
and not this…
https://www.facebook.com/bea.ach/posts/10220956976136071?ref=syn_article_candy
This is funny. There is no limit to Cayetano’s kaepalan.
How about Yorme’s own brand of quiet achievement and anti-epal campaign?!
“Pinatatanggal ko ultimo pangalan ko.”
“Bawal ang epal. Tigilan na natin yan.”
Walk the talk?!
Despite Manila Mayor Isko Moreno’s previous crackdown against “epal” politicians, a wifi kiosk is named “ISKOnek” and the Manila City’s food truck is called “Kusina ni Isko”.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FTQ0wr_pqSE/maxresdefault.jpg
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MO8yVc8H1ns/maxresdefault.jpg
Sino kaya supplier ng Lugar ni Yorme?
Malamang kay FVP Leni, ang Lugaw Queen! Pero may palugaw na rin si Bong Go, may Facebook page pa yan. 🙂
oops, correction: Lugaw pala! 🙂