Blogs, social networking groups (Facebook, etc.) and e-groups had a heyday circulating the jokes, some of them merciless. Jokes can work for or against their target victims. Former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada decided to use many of these on his own person as a reverse tack when he ran for president in 1998 and got away with a best-selling “Eraptions.” When he later got convicted for plunder, the joke was on him, literally.
I’ve had a great time reading and listening to the 2010 election jokes and laughing out loud (that’s what LOL stands for) even by myself. Even the hard-nosed Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) came out with a serious well-researched piece on this Filipino preoccupation. It’s titled “Joke the vote, pun the bets” by PCIJ interns Camille de Asis, Ivan Lim, Mark Tare and Angela Poe. The writers provided in-depth analysis and context.
The piece begins: “Barring last-minute surprises in the election count, the Noynoy-Nognog tandem will lead the next casting at Malacañang Palace in the next six years, according to funny-boned Filipinos.
“Nognog, dark-skinned Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay in real life, will also be installed as the country’s “first black vice president,” they say.
“But before he could become president, Noynoy, who goes by the full name Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, may need to convince closest rival Joseph Estrada to concede.
“Estrada can’t and won’t, supposedly because when he voted, his victory had been guaranteed. Proof of this, and so the tale is told, was that after Estrada fed his ballot into a PCOS machine, it popped this message: ’Congratulations!’”
Filipinos have a penchant for making serious matter a laughing matter. Jokes are considered to be the Filipinos’ safety valve. They are a great social leveler, especially when they target the high and the mighty. Political satire is not the exclusive domain of intellectuals. Making sense of politics is not the sole domain of people who fancy themselves political analysts. Why, taxi drivers also do just as well.
And so in street corners, watering holes and beauty parlors where political talk abounds, jokes cannot be far behind. And when comedians, comediennes and impersonators such as Willie Nepomuceno, Jon Santos and Mae Paner (as Juana Change) deliver their spiels, we laugh out loud because we recognize our desire to deride those we despise and laugh them out of the room and out of our lives.
Enough of the serious talk about jokes or we run out of space. A good site to visit is the blog (http://viewerdiscretionisadvised.wordpress.com)which looks at “Philippine cinema and other spectacles” and where one could find many side-splitting jokes (some disguised as awards) about politicians. Images and comments are included. Samples:
Agawan ng Pangalan Award: PACYAW (Pilipino Association for Country—Urban Poor Youth Advancement and Welfare), which may be confused with Manny Pacquiao’s PBA Partylist, you know?
Agawan ng Kulay Award: Manny Villar and Erap Estrada, for sharing the same prison orange color.
Agawan ng Mukha Award: Bongbong Marcos, for managing to look like both Jamby Madrigal (in his Netopia wallpaper ads) and Fanny Serrano (in his campaign posters). How queer!
Honorable Mention: Lito Lapid, for thinking that people will vote for him if he looked like Erap. Liza Maza, for looking like Lord of Scents Joel Cruz.
Best Tagline (standard bearer): Erap Estrada— “Kung may Erap, may ginhawa.” Witty wordplay!
Worst Tagline (standard bearer): Bayani Fernando—“Lalakeng kausap.” Chauvinist pig.
Best Tagline (senator): Imelda Papin— “Tinig ng bawat Pilipino sa senado.” And what a tinig it is! Jukebox queen!
Worst Tagline (senator): Juan Ponce Enrile—“Gusto ko happy ka.” Ano ho?
Honorable Mention: Franklin Drilon—“Big Justice.” A great spin on Drilon’s obesity. But it’s obesity nonetheless.
Worst Tagline (partylist): PBA Partylist—“Sports lang, you know!” No, I don’t know!
Honorable Mention: ABROAD Partylist—“Work abroad, pay later.” Easier to export Filipino labor this way!
Most Misplaced Tagline: Bayani Fernando— “Lalakeng kausap.” Should have been Jamby Madrigal’s.
Honorable Mention: Risa Hontiveros—“Magandang Laban.” Should have been Adel Tamano’s, kasi mas maganda si Adel.
Most Awkward Postering Strategy: Buhay Partylist, for prominently posting campaign materials beside motels like Sogo and Eurotel. Siguro mga sanggol nga talaga ang represented sector nila, at saan pa nga ba ginagawa ang mga sanggol? Remember Bitoy’s version of Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”? The birit climax goes: “Sanggol, sanggol...”
This just came via an e-group: Binay is wrong to feel proud about being the first black vice president of the Philippines. “The first black vice president was Carlos P. Garcia. When Magsaysay died, he became the first black president. Binay should aim for another record.” And “Mar Roxas has a hard time catching up with Binay. Mar has been using the padyak (pedicab) and tricycle which have been overused in his political ads. He should take the jeep and he might catch up with Binay.”
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