MANILA, Philippines--For a moment, a forum on the power--and pitfalls--of political advertising on Tuesday turned into a verbal tussle between a big-spending loser and a low-budget winner in last year's senatorial elections.

"It's only in the Philippines that a former president convicted of plunder endorses a candidate on TV and he wins," said Prospero Pichay Jr., an administration bet who lost despite incurring the biggest ad expenses of all the candidates.

Feeling alluded to, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who ran under the opposition ticket backed by deposed President Joseph Estrada and won despite a relatively modest campaign kitty, retorted:

"And it is only in the Philippines that a sitting president endorses a candidate and (that candidate) loses."

"And that's the state of Philippine politics," Pichay sighed, drawing laughter from the audience.

The exchange provided some amusement during a forum marking the launch of "Selling Candidates: Political Ads in the 2007 Senatorial Elections," a book project of the online magazine Newsbreak, the German foundation Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, and Ateneo de Manila University.

The 107-page book was authored by Ana Maria Tabunda, Carmela Fonbuena and Aries Rufo.

Dominant topic
Pichay's debacle proved to be the dominant topic during the three-hour discussion at the Hyatt Hotel in Malate, Manila.

The former Surigao del Sur congressman did not make it to the Senate's "Magic 12" even after placing P98.6-million worth of TV ads (based on estimates by polling firm AC Nielsen). He placed 16th in the final tally.

With a surname that sounds like a vegetable, Pichay then courted voters with the tagline "Itanim sa Senado" (literally, "Plant him in the Senate").

Fielding a question from moderator CheChe Lazaro, Pichay said he lost the election probably because he lacked both the "old name" of political clans and "the organization" to guard his votes.

"In politics, there's also (the principle of) repeat purchase," he said. "Who were the people who won? They are the old names in politics like Escudero (Sen. Francis Escudero) and Cayetano."

Cayetano, who spent only P27.1 million for ads but still placed 9th in the race, offered a simpler explanation for Pichay's loss: "Three letters--GMA (the President's initials)."

Political analyst Mon Casiple, who attended the book launch, shared Cayetano's view.

"(Pichay) really tried to connect with the issues pero wala, eh (it just didn't happen). When it came to his identification with GMA, tapos na siya (he was finished)," Casiple told reporters after the forum.

Guest panelist and TV journalist Chari Villa of ABS-CBN told Pichay pointblank:

"Sir, you were promising to solve poverty. People are more discerning now, and that was such a gargantuan task. There was a disconnect between the message and what the people want," she said.

Villa was apparently alluding to Pichay's other campaign mantra--"Pangarap kong tuparin ang pangarap mo" (It's my dream to fulfill yours).

Still, Pichay managed to point to a silver lining and noted that his ads helped raise his "approval rating from 5 percent to 30.9 percent" during the 90-day campaign period.

And it was not entirely true that he spent all the P98.6 million, Pichay said, since "I was given a 13-percent rebate [by the ad placement agency]."

Strategy
In the book, "Selling Candidates" coauthor Tabunda noted how "many candidates ran political ads that focused on building personal images, or mentioned the candidate's qualities while raising issue concerns."

This strategy, she wrote, "continued to yield dividends."

The panelists also recalled how actual media coverage of legitimate news involving a candidate bolstered his or her chances of winning.

Voters, they said, had also become more discerning and this could help explain the "fading glory" of movie celebrities who ran for the Senate last year, like actors Richard Gomez and Cesar Montano.

As for the 2010 presidential elections, Cayetano said candidates can be expected to exploit the "diversifying media." The Internet, for example, could be the next best platform for those with limited campaign budgets, he said.

Casiple sees campaign strategies for the next national polls being shaped by "gut issues," referring to the current price surges in rice and fuel.

"Rice is a gut issue. Poverty is a gut issue. And these have huge bearings on who will be the choice as president in the 2010 elections," Casiple said.