When black propaganda fails

A painful lesson should be learned by parties involved in the apparent intense black-propaganda and reputation-demolition operations against two major political personalities running in this year’s national polls. 

Based on the latest Social Weather Stations survey, it may be safe to assume that the orchestrated assault on the reputation of Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Bongbong Marcos has miserably failed. The parties commissioned to do the operations – if there are any – may have wasted precious campaign funds.

There are now serious doubts if spending more on black prop against the two could produce results favorable to any and all political aspirants whom such operations were supposedly designed to favor.

It will be recalled that Binay has been the consistent target of this kind of operations, beginning with that long-drawn Senate inquiry into corruption allegations.

Marcos, meanwhile, has been the target of consistent attacks, particularly in social media. The assault has focused on the senator’s being the son of the former strongman who ruled the country for close to two decades, most of which were under Martial Law.

Interestingly, both candidates are enjoying rising ratings. Binay has regained the lead in the SWS survey on presidential aspirants. Marcos is now statistically tied with Sen. Chiz Escudero at first place in the race for vice president.

This development must be alarming to those who may have funded the operations.

There are several views as to why Binay and Marcos are now at the top of the surveys in their respective categories despite the heavy black-propaganda efforts against them.

First: the demolition efforts may have been overcooked and gone overboard.

Second: there are more Filipinos who do not believe the propaganda against the two than those who do.

Third: the Binay and Marcos political brands are strong enough to weather the onslaught of black propaganda.

Fourth: the parties whom people suspect to be behind the operations are less credible and less preferred than the target of the black propaganda themselves.

The apparent debacle of the anti-Binay and anti-Marcos demolition squads provides important lessons in black propaganda operations. Among them:

One, that black propaganda may work only when there is a clear alternative in sight whom people perceive can be better than the black-propaganda target. The operators may have not seen that the public may not have found one at the moment.

In the absence of better choices, people will likely simply disbelieve the propaganda and stay committed to their original choices.

Two, that black propaganda is a double-edged sword. While such efforts may lead others to change their minds about their original choice, these materials may also cause others to stand by and cement their commitment to their original choice.

Do a greater number of voters see an alternative better than Binay? The SWS survey apparently shows that they do not. If elections are to be held today, the survey indicates that Binay would most likely win over his rivals, despite the unprecedented assault on his reputation.

Do the greater a greater number of voters see a choice better than Marcos for the vice presidency? Apparently not. In fact, it appears there are more voters who are giving him a second look.

His closest rival, Escudero, is at present experiencing a downslide in voter preference while the young Marcos’s ratings enjoy a major jump.

It is unlikely that Escudero’s camp would use the same line and spiel that the black propagandists have employed in the course of the demolition campaign against Marcos.

After all, the Escudero name appears to be closely linked to the Marcoses.

The highly esteemed late father of the senator, Salvador “Ka Sonny” Escudero III, was one of the best agricultural experts tapped by Senator Marcos’s late father.

The late Escudero, who belonged to the same ROTC Fraternity of President Marcos and Gen. Fabian Ver, remained loyal to the late strongman till the end.

In this country, political ties may break, but not the bond forged by brotherhood, particularly that of a UP fraternity.

It is deemed unlikely that the young Escudero would ever use the Martial Law peg to hit at his closest rival. That would be like throwing a boomerang and forgetting to duck.

Meanwhile, those funding the black-propaganda operations against Binay and Marcos should now rethink how their precious financial resources could be better used.

Maybe, they should be spent instead to prop up the image of the candidate or candidates who are supposed to benefit from the demolition of the two targets.

Unless, of course, such candidate/candidates have already spent much and are still miserably faltering in the polls.