THE ad looked intriguing enough. It was cleverly placed amid all the ads w/c polluted the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight last Sunday aired over GMA 7. Different faces, celebrities, talking about problems in the country and how it's inherent upon each one of us all ("ako mismo") to solve it instead of waiting for others to move for us.
Interesting concept, creative ad, with just one message. And so far, I've only seen it on GMA 7. But it looked, sounded, felt suspicious. Some people thought it was a Manny Pangilinan presidential campaign advocacy because Smart was one of the ad's sponsors. He has denied he's running for political office. ( I never thought he'd run, and give up his cushy job w/ the Salims and all his ahm, perks. Why ruin a good thing by running for public office?)
I went to the website Ako Mismo which asks you to pledge what you will do. So i filled it up with some nonsense just to get into the site, and already, a multitude of questions were asked, without telling you who or what the organization is all about. What's more, if you click the "about us", it there are no details. And you won't be able to contact the organizers, unless you sign up. The alarm bells went off in my head.
So I asked the friend of one of the celebrities featured in the ad campaign who's the brainchild behind it. She came back w/ one name: Edu. You mean Edu Manzano, Papaya king and my old Vice Mayor of Makati? Yup. So maybe Edu's running for higher office again. Senator Edu? But after his unsuccessful push for Mayor of Makati and the many rumors which swirled after that election period, many of them probably unfounded, would anyone trust Edu for higher office again? Hmm...
When I last saw Edu, it was in my favorite Okame Japanese restaurant sometime last year. He was still running the Optical Media Board. I told him I needed to contact him for a story I was doing. I never got to make that call as I got sidetracked by a bigger story. But he seemed happy enough with what he was doing for ABS-CBN and for the presidentita's anti-piracy campaign.
The presidentita. Now that's a thought. Hmmm...maybe she or her minions are using Edu for some elaborate scheme in preparation for 2010? Is this a support Cha-Cha movement? Is this another gimmick to let everyone know how we will benefit with the presidentita continued stay in office? The alarm bells in my head are clanging loudly now. I can't help it. And unless Ako Mismo's real organizers come out in the open, their motives will continue to be under a cloud of suspicion.
Btw, artist Jaime Garchitorena has started questioning those exact motives. Read this. I wonder why ABS-CBN didn't just ask Kapamilya Edu for a comment? Hmm...maybe I'll drop by Okame one of these days and ask Edu myself.
Many speculations came out about the Ako Mismo campaign. I have read numerous positve and negative reaction blogs. So I tried to research the people endorsing them. Why aren't Lea Salonga, Paeng Nepumoceno and other respectable artists included in the campaign, so I thought. I came up with some good research. That MVP backed out so as not to put any political color into it and so is Gov. Vi. That the clenched fist guy in the finale is our first Pinoy world hero recognized by CNN, his name is Efren "Kuya F" Penaflorida. That the daughter of the Master rapper, Maxene is doing this to continue the legacy of her departed father. That Angel, Ely, Chris and Charice have all started their own advocacies long before this ad went on air. And i also learned that all these people went their way out their schedules to do this "pro bono" entirely no TF whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteMy conclusion is that these people are equally as reputable as Lea, Paeng or Rico Hizon. They would not let politics or schemes of the rotten PGMA government pull them down especially for "pro bono." Think of what it would cost Efren and his reputation as a modern day hero? I trust the endorsers of Ako Mismo ant may I say, "Ako Mismo naniniwala na may pag-asa pa ang bansa natin kung bibiyan natin ito ng pagkakataon!"
Hope you're right Jeremiah. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping in.
hi! where was this okame restaurant? i find it intriguing.
ReplyDeleteOkame is in that new bldg. at the corner of Sct. Madriñan and Tomas Morato (ABS-CBN side). Sorry I forget its name right now. But it's the one w/ the Rustan's Fresh supermarket. There's also an Okame in Libis and in Casa Susana w/in the ATC complex in Alabang.
ReplyDeleteValue-for-money Japanese food, but service can be slow sometimes. It's also known for its interesting mix of ingredients for its sushis.
Thanks for stopping by.