Anti-Epal

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes admits that, like the rest of the nation, he is also appalled by the proliferation of billboards and posters from this or that personality whose obvious intent is to run for an elective post next year. However, because jurisprudence has technically allowed premature campaigning, his advice to voters when it comes to dealing with these “epals” is to “Remember their faces now and forget their names on election day”.

Epal is a play on the words “mapapel”, Filipino slang for scene stealer, or attention grabber, and “kapal” or someone who is thick-skinned. When it comes to this kind of people, Brillantes notes that the Comelec could not run after candidates who put up posters before  the campaign period because, until Congress reenacts a law prohibiting and punishing premature campaigning, no law prohibits that practice.

Because government has been powerless against epal, it has fallen upon concerned citizens to harness the power of social media and the Internet to form the Anti-Epal group and mount campaigns against it. The group has held anti-epal tours in Paranaque and Quezon City where they roam the areas in search of political banners and other epal material. They then give out awards to the politicians with the most number of epal posters spotted. These anti-epal tours have resulted in some tarpaulins and materials being removed, but unless this kind of vigilance against epal behavior is sustained,  and allowed to replicate in other parts of the country, the highly organized, determined, and well-funded epal politicians will always be able to litter our surroundings with their tasteless junk.

While we here in Negros may be fortunate enough to not yet  be flooded by epal materials, we have to brace ourselves for it, especially with the filing of certificates  of candidacy  that is due early next month. As the candidates are most likely preparing to campaign prematurely, concerned citizens may want to prepare to mobilize their own local anti-epal campaigns as well. The government may not be able to do anything about it, but in this world of social media and instant sharing over the Internet, those who really want to do something about it may just be able to stop this abhorrent practice, or, at least,  make the epals think twice.*