Show of force

By Alex P. Vidal

“The intelligence of the creature known as a crowd, is the square root of the number of people in it.”–Terry Pratchett

POLITICAL crowds are always meant to be a “show of force” in any election in the Philippines and anywhere in the world.

Their impact for certain political parties or candidates is as astounding and remarkable as the performance in the debate.

No political party will hold a rally and caravan in a big metropolis or province if the organizers are aware that only pedestrians, sidewalk vendors, kanto boys and girls, barbershop customers, market-goers, pedicab drivers, electric post repairmen, construction workers, and neighborhood gossipers will witness them.

Rallies and caravans are always well-organized, well-funded, and well-publicized.

A big crowd or well-wishers in the political rally and caravan can be used to condition the minds of the people so that some of those who are undecided can decide right away if they can be convinced by the phenomenon that they witness.

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A mammoth crowd can also be an effective propaganda weapon if reported in the media, especially if newspapers will carry it on the front page the following morning.

It is normally used as a visual basis and evidence to determine how strong is the political party or the candidates and how much support they get from the residents in that metropolis and province.

This explains why organizers and supporters of different political parties and candidates fight passionately on social media like they are disputing a prime territory each time a caravan and political rally are held.

Each is claiming of having the bigger crowd.

To convince the public, some organizers and supporters go to the extent of fabricating photos showing a well-attended caravan and political rally if their results (like small attendance) weren’t favorable.

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All political parties actually are very capable of gathering a large crowd and participants in rallies and caravans.

Administration and opposition parties, as long as well-oiled and well-planned, can attract a reasonable number of people enough to call the rallies and caravans as “very successful.”

The crowd doesn’t determine though which party will dominate the election, or which candidate will win.

You may have the bigger crowd and still lose the election; you can still win even if you have a low turn-out of attendance in the rallies and caravans.

Not all those present in the crowd will or can vote.

This happened in the most recent presidential election in the United States.

Former President Donald Trump claimed there’s no way for him to lose against President Joseph Biden because he had the bigger crowds anywhere he held his rallies.

Biden’s rallies, on the other hand, were attended only by a few cars and motorbikes, and were “anemic” due to social distancing and not-so-good-weather conditions, bewailed the defeated candidate Trump.

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When Manny Pacquiao, Isko Moreno, Leody de Guzman, and Panfilo Lacson hold their respective caravans and rallies in Iloilo and in other regions all over the archipelago, they are also expected to produce a substantial if not the same number of people who showed up during the recent rallies and caravans of Vice President Leni Robredo and Bongbong Marcos in Iloilo.

The difference may be in the way the people will react, but the crowd may still be something they can brag about.

In Pacquiao’s crowd, no one can tell if people will come because they want to see him as a boxing superstar or as presidential timber.

In Moreno’s crowd, no one can tell if those who will elbow their way to shake his hands are showbiz fans or Manila residents who happen to be in the metropolis or provinces he visited.

The same thing can happen to Lacson and De Guzman, who are extremely popular among the Filipino-Chinese and peasants/laborers, respectively.

Crowds are, in one way or the other, easy to please and manage.

It’s the votes during the election day that are hard to predict.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)