With nearly 4.5-million netizens reached on Facebook just five days after posting, broadcast journalist and senatorial candidate Jiggy Manicad’s “low-budget campaign” photos as he tours the Philippines in the lead-up to the national elections have gone viral on social media.
In the post which has been shared 26,000 times and liked 70,000 times as of Wednesday, Manicad featured photos of his lone sports utility vehicle as it plied different provinces in the country as part of his campaign.
The award-winning journalist, who for 23 years covered various assignments in nearly every part of the Philippines, admitted this was markedly different from the campaigns of most other candidates.
“Kung alam niyo lang po ang pinagdadaanan ko araw-araw upang maabot ang mga botanteng nais kong kilalanin, matatawa po siguro kayo dahil ibang-iba ang kampanya natin kumpara sa ibang kandidato,” he said in Filipino in the Facebook post.
Manicad said that bereft of an army of hundreds of coordinators and staff on the ground, he and two associates have been doing their own postering for the campaign.
The simplicity of his campaign, Manicad explained in a press statement, stemmed from his desire not to muddle his objectives with favors owed to other politicians and businessmen who may contribute millions of pesos into his campaign.
In an interview, Manicad remarked that he was glad for the “virality” of the photos.
Apart from boosting his Senate run less than a week before elections, the viral photos also show that one need not come from a prominent family or have millions in funds to put up a good fight.
He said, “One thing I’m happy to show through my low-budget campaign is that you don’t need money to reach as many people as you can. If you really want to serve, if you have the heart, you’ll find volunteers and donors who don’t expect anything in return. You’ll find a way.”
