OFF THE VINE: Political fare a less than riveting show

Just when Filipinos thought it was safe to turn on the TV or radio again, the politicians go and legalise advertising for candidates in May's election. That means the airwaves won't be safe for a while longer because as anyone who has been to the Philippines knows, politicians there take the business of electioneering very seriously indeed. But having only recently run an actor-womaniser-president out of office on corruption and other charges, can Filipinos trust their politicians again? If media owners are a guide, we think the answer is a quick "no". Apparently, media properties have a PBB directive - pay before broadcast - for politicians. "Shows how much we trust our candidates," a media director smirked. Meanwhile, now that all has been said and done with People Power 2, Campaigns & Grey dynamo Yolanda Villanueva-Ong is happily recounting the company's role through its Campaigns Advocacy & Public Relations Inc's (Capri) arm in the protests that drove Estrada out of office. Capri donated its services freely, executing a series of daily spoofs on two months of impeachment hearings against Estrada. The politicians at the hearing provided plenty of fodder, simply by being themselves. And with Estrada's ad ban order on the Philippine Daily Inquirier, we hear that Capri found a more than accommodating platform to ridicule Estrada. Need a new cabinet? Just call Dimensione, a chain of furniture stores in the Philippines, which had this ad running soon after new Philippine president Gloria Magapagal-Arroyo was sworn in last month. As the new commander in chief deliberated on cabinet choices - always a prickly affair in the Philippines - BBDO-Guerrero/Ortega happily picked up plenty of mileage for its client.

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