Reli German accuses GO of "copying" their townhall meeting strategy

Recently demoted United Administration campaign manager Reli German accuses GO of copying their townhall meeting strategy

Sabi ni Reli German:

German also said GO's planned "Talakayang Bayan" or town meetings were mere imitations of TEAM Unity's "Pulong Sulong [Meeting for Progress]."

It's either "ginagaya nila kayo", or they must have read my post here (written the day after the Plaza Miranda rally) where I suggested that it'd be much better and more practical for them to hold "townhall meetings" instead of outdoor rallies.

(Or pareho kayong gaya gaya ang TU at GO sa "Let the Conversation Begin" townhall meeting strategy ni Hillary! LOL.)

It was reported on Manila Standard on Feb. 26 that TU was planning to pilot test it's "Pulong Sulong" strategy.

Team Unity will pilot-test the Pulong Sulong strategy which would divide the candidates into three teams campaigning simultaneously.

Team A includes Montano, Kiram, Zubiri and Magsaysay; Team B—Recto, Oreta, Arroyo and Sotto; and Team C—Defensor, Singson, Pichay and Angara.

Reli German also said the reason GO is "copying" their strategy is because they can't attract any crowds:

"Sobrang gaya-gaya sila, di ba [They are really copycats, right]? They find it difficult to attract crowds to their rallies so they resort to copying our campaign strategy through the Talakayang Bayan," he said.

And I'm sure Reli knows something about it's candidates' "inability to attract crowds", because this is what Team ARroyo's campaign said about their expectations on "Pulong Sulong":

Lupita Kashiwara, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s image consultant and director of Team Unity’s television advertisements, said Team Unity’s new strategy, “Pulong Sulong,” or gathering for progress, would ensure intimacy.

“There will be a maximum of 200 people as audience, so the campaign will be more intimate and aimed at catching the hearts of the audience through personal interactions with the candidates,” Kashiwara said in a telephone interview.

Now that's setting the bar low, ano? I think if the Opposition can smoothen out some of the "gusots" at the start of their campaign, I believe it can attract 5 to 10 times that number in a townhall meeting (around 1,000 to 2,000 people, like the one in Capiz, thanks Mar!) inside a gym or auditorium.

Jon Mariano has pretty much the same reaction to Reli's comments.

And again, instead of GO calling theirs "Talakayang Bayan" (BORING!), mas maganda if the call their events "Magusap Tayo" Townhall meetings and Rallies. capture it on video and photos and post it on youtube or GO's team website (kung meron na sila). Tignan nyo yung picture sa townhall meeting ni Hillary, ang ganda ano?


UPDATE: Sabi ni Schumey sa comments section:

There is a big difference from the crowds TU and GO attract. GO's crowds are the ordinary people while TU's are the barangay officials.

Its been TU's practice, complete with their hi-tech presentation to serenade the officials sympathetic to them. Go on the other hand are speaking to the general public. Now this is the big contrast. Alam kasi ng TU na baka batuhin sila ng taumbayan, this is also the reason why they refuse to face the GO in a public debate in Plaza Miranda.

He's right. Nakalimutan kong banggitin na ang mga barangay at local officials ang mga audience ng TU, at ordinary folks naman sa GO.

Cebu Daily News
Last updated 02:14pm (Mla time) 03/05/2007

Dumaguete City - A political gathering of Team Unity senatorial candidates was disrupted Saturday night when Negros Oriental Representative Herminio Teves of the district was rushed to the hospital after he suddenly wobbled and vomitted from what he would later call indigestion.

The gathering at the Bethel Guest House here, which was attended by about 200 barangay captains and elected local officials of the 2nd district of Negros Oriental, was supposed to cap another hectic day of campaigning throughout the northern towns of the province.

The Team Unity candidates present were Mike Defensor, Edgardo Angara and Vic Magsaysay.

Ito raw ang purpose ng Pulong Sulong, according to Tito Sotto:

The barangay meetings called Pulong Sulong (Meetings for Progress) may not be enough to get good publicity for Team Unity.

The meetings kicked off in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and the candidates were grouped into threes.

One meeting was hosted by Team Unity senatorial candidate Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and was attended by at least a hundred local officials, who are expected to spread the word from the group discussion to their voting constituents.

But even Sotto, who gained popularity as one of the hosts of the noontime show Eat Bulaga, only succeeded slightly in making the meeting in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental lively and bearable for its participants – mainly because the meeting was set at lunchtime and the place was humid.

JV Ejercito disagreed German's claim na pareho lang ang ginagawa nila with TU's "Pulong Sulong":

Ejercito had earlier said he would organize "town hall" meetings with sectoral and community leaders to hear complaints and issues "directly from the people."

He denied it was a copy of Team Unity's "Pulong Sulong" dialogues with local officials.

"No, we've been telling the media about our plans to have community forums as early as the start of the campaign. It's just being drowned out by all the other issues," Ejercito said.

Adel Tamano even mocked "pulong sulong" because of it's had a phoney, staged managed feel to it.

The Genuine Opposition (GO) on Friday hurled this question at the administration's Team Unity, which refused to hold debates of senatorial candidates at Plaza Miranda in Manila City.

"It is an insult to the common Filipino and to the public. They are making it appear the common people cannot understand discussions and are capable only of shouting matches," GO spokesman Adel Tamano said in Filipino during an interview on dzXL radio.

He also scored Team Unity for holding its campaigns, including its "Pulong Sulong" town hall meets, in alleged "controlled environments" and only with officials.

UPDATE: Talk to masa, Chiz tells Unity

GENUINE Opposition candidate House Minority Leader Francis Escudero yesterday criticized the campaign strategy of Team Unity, which relies on local government officials to deliver the votes.

In a statement, Escudero challenged Team Unity to go to the people instead of allowing the LGUs to campaign for them.

He said people will vote for candidates based on their qualifications and principles.

Escudero noted that the administration believes local government officials need only tell the electorate who to vote for. But that election strategy, he noted, is a thing of the past and people now have a mind of their own.

“In contrast, we in the Genuine Opposition go directly to the people and discuss the issues,” Escudero said.