She doesn’t even go here!
Ilocos Norte Governor and controversial former First Daughter Imee Marcos is getting flak for her senatorial campaign once again. This time, it’s all because of a heavily branded poster to celebrate Cebu’s Sinulog Festival.
It all started with a photo of the poster shared by Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña on Facebook earlier today.
“Gov. Marcos, Trust me when I tell you I am doing you a favor by taking this tarpaulin down.
“The Cebuanos do not appreciate the politicization of the Sinulog. This won’t be earning you any votes and is doing you more harm than good. My own brother is running for Senator and I didn’t invite him to come,” he wrote.
https://www.facebook.com/tommyrosmena/photos/a.687486897958174/2586765451363633/?type=3&theater
Mayor Osmeña is the brother of former senator Sergio “Serge” Osmeña III who will be running for office once again in May’s mid-term elections.
Some were happy about Mayor Osmeña’s decision to take down the poster.
“Good job to our city mayor @TommyOsmeña for taking down this Imee Marcos tarp for the Sinulog!!” @ashram1030 wrote.
https://twitter.com/ashram1030/status/1086087400567132162
“Dear Imee Marcos and to the other aspiring politicians stop using #Sinulog2019 as a medium for your campaign, its (sic) a religious festival back off!!” @naeselyk1 tweeted.
https://twitter.com/naeselyk1/status/1086092677156884483
Imee, the daughter of late dictator Ferdinand Marco, has consistently been criticized for her, er, less than subtle campaign.
Like on Wednesday, when she posted a campy political ad featuring no less than First Daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. In it, Marcos has a smile plastered on her face and animatedly dabs left and right while describing the kind leader the country needs.
Her supporters loved it, of course, but critics weren’t so kind. One netizen called the two “spawns of dictators,” while another said they were trying too hard to be cool.
Marcos also went viral in April for a cheeky video she posted on Facebook where she recited words in her hometown’s dialect Ilocano that mean totally different (read: inappropriate) things in Tagalog.
While some lauded Mayor Osmeña for taking down Marcos’ Sinulog Festival poster, he was also criticized and called out for his biases.
Osmeña is part of the opposition Liberal Party, which also counts former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as one of their members. Aquino is the son of national hero Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was President Marcos’ staunchest critic. Mayor Osmeña’s father, the late Senator Sergio “Serging” Osmeña Jr., also ran against President Marcos in the 1969 presidential elections.
That’s Philippine politics, folks.
But in a comment, Mayor Osmeña said that he had the poster taken down to protect the true spirit of the Sinulog Festival.
“The Sinulog is a religious event. It is not an excuse to get drunk in the streets, nor is it a venue to campaign.
“National candidates like anyone else are welcome to join in the celebration, but they will not be speaking nor will they be grandstanding on stage.
“Even my own brother who is running for Senator I didn’t invite to the Sinulog. Like the other senatoriables, he is welcome to come, but only as a participant like everybody else.
“The only star of the Sinulog is the Sto. Niño,” he wrote.
The Sinulog Festival is an annual religious event celebrated in Cebu on the third Saturday of January in honor of the Sto. Niño (Child Jesus).
Taking advantage of big events like this is common among politicians running for office. Earlier this month, the Commission on Elections spoke out against those who hung up campaign posters along the route of the Black Nazarene procession, which was attended by millions of devotees.
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