It was a press conference, right? Were the media there as professional journalists or were they there to be mere props in the effort to legitimize the smear process? Will the unsavory reputation with which media is viewed be redeemed in the next few weeks or will it be once again validated?

Like Marcos, Villar seems to have patched together a tainted tapestry the main thread of which is corruption. Aside from the massive media campaign he has also sewn up endorsements of entertainers and political bosses around the country.

The entertainers are there to endow him with their popularity among the bakya crowd ( to serve as a deodorant, really). The political bosses are expected to deliver to him large blocks of votes in areas of the country where warlords rule. What is the quid pro quo with these regional bosses? Will they get the same deal that the Ampatuans got from Gloria Arroyo, that is a free rein over the lives and fortunes of all who live in their domain?

So to summarize Villar’s approach or methods:

1. Overwhelm the information channels via massive advertising and media support.

2. Enlist the backing of popular figures such as entertainers.

3. Enter into pacts with warlords and other centers of power.

4. Lavish cash on the voters and engage in direct vote buying where it is possible to do so.

5. Use the media to help smear opponents to make “corruption” look acceptable.

6. Weave a fake story of erstwhile poverty to establish identification with the “massa”.

7. While doing all of the above make sure to visit churches, meet with priests and kiss bishops rings to create the aura of sanctity and religiousness and hopefully gyp an avidly prayerful nation into believing that he is holy enough to get their support.

Yes, it seems that Manny Villar has learned well from the tactics used by Ferdinand Marcos. The question is will the voting public remember the bitter lessons of history and thus not repeat them?

Leandro D. Quintana left the Philippines in 1972 and became an anti-Marcos journalist and activist in the US. Working as an air freight and logistics expert, he has travelled extensively. He writes essays about Philippine political culture in his blog, P.R.I.N.T.S