Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Al Espino

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Al Espino. Who the heck is Al Espino you ask?  He is an ex-City Councilman running for his seat again in next year's election. Take a look at all these signs plastered around town wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from ex-City Councilman Al Espino. 

Take note here how the relatively small holiday greeting banner of Vice Mayor El Cid is latching on to the larger banner of Al Espino. Just like a parasite! Look at the disparity in size between these banners. The Vice Mayor's banner is tiny compared to Al Espino's banner and he does not even hold a political office! It is a visible testament to the invisible egos of these men.

Take special note of this banner placement! Two X-mas banners back-to-back!

Further down the road we come upon a very special arrangement of these banners.  Can you guess what is so unique about the following five banners?

Wow look at this. It's like an omen for the future. Mascara Festival has been over for a more than a month now and yet this banner wishing the city a Happy Masskara Festival is still up. How long past the holidays will Al Espino's holiday greeting banners stay up?

More tiny parasitic El Cid banners latching on to the big dog Al Espino like ticks.

Ok now did you figure it out? What is so unique about the previous five banners? They are all  plastered at an intersection.  All four corners plus an extra one to boot! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Al Espino is coming out at you from every angle. You can not escape his holiday greeting. It's like the incessant warble of Christmas songs at the mall only its really just the desperation of a man hungry to regain his political office.

That is 19 banners in the space of 1.8 miles! He is not even an elected official or else it would be writ large on his banners just like those of Vice Mayor El Cid. Filipino politicians love to remind you they are politicians as if their offices were titles of nobility and not certificates of public trust and responsibility. What else are political dynasties but a modern form of nobility?

Despite the arrogance of the average politician look at the Vice Mayor here. In the same stretch of road he only has five banners up! A far cry from the 19 of Al Espino who is, I repeat, not an elected official though if you read the comments on his Facebook page he is still referred to as "councillor." And that is only along this one road. There are other locations where Al's Christmas banner is strung up on successions of electric poles because one is never enough.

Over all the effect is garish and unsightly. Do we really need this many banners wishing us a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year?  Let's be real.  He is not wishing anyone a Merry Christmas. No, no, no. Al Espino is reminding people of his existence and begging for votes in the 2019 general election. It's akin to psychological warfare. He is implanting himself in your mind.  Take a look at his Facebook page and you will see he is going from barangay to barangay whipping up support for himself. Hashtag Al Espino 2019.

https://www.facebook.com/alespino1911/photos/a.744647459003009/1433225646811850/?type=3&theater

To be fair to Al I messaged him and asked:

Why have you placed about 15 of these posters up and down Lacson street from Robinsons to the hospital? Why did you put 5 in front of the San Miguel brewery in Santa Fe? How many more of these are scattered around town? Please respond as I am writing a blog post about it and would sincerely like your side of the story. Thanks.

He responded:

Posters were put up without my knowledge... it was done by a group of friends voluntarily...

Does that sound legit? These posters were put up without his knowledge and by a group of friends voluntarily? So a group of his friends paid to make these banners, paid for the bamboo (or cut it themselves) and wire, sacrificed a huge chunk of their time to put these banners up around town.....why? Just because they love their friend Al Espino and want to get out his Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday message around town? That makes no sense. That dog does not hunt.

But what if it's true. What if a group of his friends, without his knowledge, spent their own money and time to place these banners around town? That would mean Al Espino has lost control of his image and stands aloof to the goings on of his very own election campaign. Make no mistake this is pre-electoral season early campaigning. Al Espino has commercialised the Christmas holiday in the worst way possible by prostituting himself to you as a candidate to vote for in the upcoming election. Did he forget he lost the last election?  Who does he think he is?  Hilary Clinton?

Each holiday season politicians love to litter the electric poles around town with their Merry Christmas banners. It's a deplorable tradition.  It would be less of a problem if these eyesores were taken down a few days after the new year begins but they never are.  Here is a Christmas banner still hanging in June.

I messaged Al a follow up question.

You did not pay for the posters to be made or ask anyone to put them up? Will you be making sure they are removed in a timely manner after the holiday season?

He did not respond.

Frankly I don't care if Al gets elected or not though I would note that Comelec spokesman James Jimenez  advises voters to junk early campaigners like Al Espino.

Since the Comelec cannot penalize candidates who engage in premature campaigns, the poll body’s spokesperson, James Jimenez, said that the “real nonlegislative solution” to this election problem that had long plagued Philippine politics was for the public not to vote for erring candidates.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1059105/comelec-junk-candidates-campaigning-early

I am more interested in the fate of these many holiday greeting banners. It would be a shame if they were to still be in place after the first week of January. But it would also be typical epal from any self-serving  Filipino politician.