Political parties in the Philippines have different gimmicks during their political rallies and sorties to catch the attention of the public.
Different celebrity endorsers were seen in various campaign sorties throughout the country of both the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) and the Liberal Party (LP), as some of the candidates are actors and actresses themselves.
Song and dance numbers for UNA wherein some of the candidates had been seen dancing popular dance hits “Gangnam Style,” “Harlem Shake,” and “Cha-cha Dabarkads” popularized by a local noontime TV show.
LP on the other hand, minimized this kind of gimmick where candidates are rarely seen performing on stage.
Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tanada III, LP spokesperson said, the administration coalition does not want to use the “traditional” form of conducting sorties but rather they focus on their speeches for the people to remember the message and make the candidates as mere entertainers.
UNA’s deputy campaign manager Sherwin Gatchalian defended his party, saying that the entertainment part is just for the sake of having fun, fulfilling the requests of the hosts, local officials or the audience.
Campaign strategists have seen these kinds of gimmick as effective, which give the feeling of closeness, endearment and connection to the audience.
While political analysts said that younger voters are no longer attracted to these kinds of campaign strategy as they see its connection to traditional politics.
