Philippine elections are so intense that even barangay (village) elections, which are happening today, can get cutthroat. When campaign posters and fliers just won’t do, some candidates even turn to very random gifts to giveaway to voters, some of which are currently being shared by netizens.
It all started with a post by Facebook parody account, Senyora, which shows a photo of a piece of fish branded with a kagawad (village councilor) candidate’s name.
The page captioned it: “Panis 500 ‘nyo,” which roughly translates to “Your 500 [pesos] has nothing on this.”
https://www.facebook.com/548714465156368/photos/a.679504452077368.1073741826.548714465156368/2151932384834560/?type=3&theater
The Facebook post had 73,000 reactions and more than 18,000 shares as of this story’s posting. The same photo tweeted by Senyora’s Twitter account had more than 21,000 likes and more than 4,000 retweets.
While it was a sarcastic commentary on the serious issue of vote buying that has long plagued elections in the Philippines, commenters could not help but laugh at the photo.
“My aunt told us about this, didn’t realize it was true,” Twitter user @lazywuwu said.
https://twitter.com/lazywuwu/status/995696537081561088
@FairyjustineSa1 joked that the same should be given away in her area.
https://twitter.com/FairyjustineSa1/status/995803418173173760
While @imalsantelices laughed at the attempt to skirt the ban on vote buying.
https://twitter.com/imalsantelices/status/995848149179625472
People also shared other weird campaign materials they claim to have seen or received.
While we can’t be sure if these specific giveaways are legit or are jokes by overly creative netizens, gifts like these are very common during election time.
Not feeling the fresh fish? What about fish crackers?
https://twitter.com/_just_meh_/status/995807982544809984
Anyone care for some corned beef?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2126271200733559&set=p.2126271200733559&type=3&theater
Or maybe you’re more into chorizo?
https://twitter.com/hipchiCkzeL/status/995811721691328512
How about mung beans?
https://twitter.com/leileimiranda/status/995688879733620737
Facebook user Rejean Garcia Almendrala even recalled a time when a candidate gave out roses tagged with his name. “If you’re going to give [something], it should be from the heart and not labeled with your name,” she said, followed by eye-roll and laughing emojis.
Did you receive random gifts from barangay (village) election candidates in your area? Share the weirdest one you’ve seen in the comments below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
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