Okay, I know. I’m quite sure there’s definitely a better title out there, but right now, I am at a loss for words, so cut me some slack and give me time to think through this and probably, just probably, after a few hours or so (or days), I might actually come up with a better, more catchy phrase to put up there. For now, bear with me, if it’s not too much of an inconvenience to you dear “chance” reader.

For the visually-challenged, the banner reads: BINAY: OBAMA OF THE PHILIPPINES.

So anyway, let me begin by saying that the first thing that came to my mind when I saw this photo is the same two-word-and-seemingly-meaningless title of this post, which is — to over-emphasize for the purpose of my personal amusement — what the %$#@??!! :) For a while there, I thought Obama has suddenly become Binay’s running-mate for 2010 — or that this entire banner was just a joke — turns out it’s not or is it? :) Now, I know us Filipinos have a way with words, phrases, jokes and what-not’s. But this — this is — I don’t even know exactly where to put it, really — so let me just use this rather exaggerated and probably not-so-accurate description but this is the closest I can come up with — it’s like a “cliche”. I don’t think there is a need to expound or build on this idea. It is very elementary my dears.

“OBAMA OF THE PHILIPPINES”? Come on. Do I hear a BIDEN here? Show of hands please… oh, there’s a “BIDEN of the Philippines” over there! How about a PALIN? Any PALIN here? There! You, yes you — the lady in that rather sexy outfit that has the phrase “eating for two” written all over it — come on right up! But wait, that’s not right..this ain’t complete! We need a MCCAIN…will the real “MCCAIN of the Philippines” please stand up? :) Does this sound all fun and good to you? It’s not amusing, not even a wee bit amusing. Fact is, it is sickening. Cliche. Cliche. Cliche. And cliche. I mean, what the heck? Hundreds of years after multiple, consecutive colonizations, we haven’t changed a bit! We are still into this bs. Excuse my “French”. When will we ever open our eyes to reality? I am telling you, as if nobody else before me has told you, dear countrymen, “THERE IS NO SUCH THING.”

There is no such thing as a “MARGARET THATCHER of the Philippines”. No “RONALD REAGAN of the Philippines”. No “ABRAHAM LINCOLN of the Philippines”. No “GEORGE BUSH of the Philippines”. And yes, sorry to burst your bubble — yes, you the achingly impossible optimist just like me, that, hey — there is certainly NO “OBAMA of the Philippines” either. There is only a “FERDINAND MARCOS of the Philippines”. A “NINOY AQUINO of the Philippines”. A “JOSE RIZAL of the Philippines”.

What is the point of all this redundancy ala broken-record form of writing, you ask? Quite simply, this: WE ARE OUR OWN PEOPLE. We are our own politics (rather disappointing and sick as it may have become). Like apples and oranges, so they say..you do not compare them. So STOP THE COMPARISON. It is counter-productive. It doesn’t help, really.

While the ones who decided to put that banner up may have the best intentions at heart, I find it a bit over-the-top. Riding the wave of popularity, are we? Putting it up and using the comparison so as to project the idea or image (or whatever it is they want to project) that in the same way that OBAMA symbolized the coming of the proverbial “winds of change” in American politics, so does BINAY represent the same for our country? Really, now? :)

Barack Obama is an American. He is a Democrat. Theirs is a federal government. And their voting system ACTUALLY works. Do you see any similarity here? I don’t. And I haven’t even gone into “traits” yet. I could go on and on with my comparison but that would be a waste of time. And even if I were in the mood to waste time, I can guarantee that there will not be any similarity at all– no sir. So, it begs the question: Why compare? I have a guess, which I think isn’t far from yours — IT’s A “GOOD” SLOGAN. As early as now, “they” bombard us with banners like this as if we are all so in love with the idea of “change” in American politics that we actually think the same is possible here. Well, good luck with that.

They put-up banners like that as if none of us actually stops to think that this is pure crap being thrown at us. And most of them politicians believe that we actually buy that crap. Pity. But on second thought, maybe we do, because if we don’t, we wouldn’t be in this rut after all, would we?

I have a suggestion, to those people who have so much love for their rumored presidential aspirant. If you guys want to “sell” your candidate, do so in a manner that makes voters think you are actually proud to be Filipinos. Why not try something like, “BINAY OF THE PHILIPPINES”. Well, of course I can suggest a better, more catchy and more inspirational banner — but my services aren’t exactly free. :) Seriously though, give us a break from all those cliches. We get enough of them already — from TV, radio, print and even blogs. Come up with something more original and something that actually means “something”. Putting a Philippine politician’s/presidentiable’s lastname side by side (or, in this case, on top of) with that of an American President-Elect doesn’t suddenly transform you into the “candidate of choice” or the “best presidential bet” at that. It just shows hows poor your campaign people’s imagination and originality are. That’s not good PR, if you ask me.

I guess I’ve already made my point. Making this post longer and attempting to make it sound so impressive an analysis might cause me to inadvertently invoke cliche as well. So I will stop here and say: “See, I told you — there is no such thing, so for the love of God and country — take that banner down, would you?”