Should animal rights activists be concerned with how Filipino politicians describe their enemies as animals?
To bolster his anti-corruption campaign message, senatorial candidate Teofisto Guingona III made a somewhat funny TV ad which showed him punching an animated crocodile. At the end of the video, Guingona shouts that he is angry at crocodiles (‘Galit ako sa buwaya’). Corrupt politicians in the Philippines are often compared to crocodiles.
Critics of vice presidential bet Loren Legarda have lampooned the lady senator as a ‘political butterfly’ in reference to her frequent changing of party affiliations. Members of Congress are called ‘porky’ solons because of their obsession with pork barrel projects. Presidential son Mikey Arroyo was compared to a pig by activists because of his intention to become a partylist representative. Partylist bets are supposed to come from the marginalized sectors of society. The ‘pig’ label is a metaphor for what activists describe as the bastardization of the partylist system. Meanwhile, administration members who are defecting to other parties are called rats who are abandoning a sinking ship.
Political mudslinging by animal-calling is not new. Former presidential daughter Imee Marcos described Malacanang Palace as a snake-pit. President Gloria Arroyo called her critics termites destroying the foundations of the Republic. Senator Miriam Santiago mocked a fellow lady politician by calling her an ‘anonymous little insect.’
If in other countries calling someone chicken is an allusion to the weak character of the person, in the Philippines it means the person is backed by a powerful leader. A candidate who is identified as manok (chicken) of Arroyo means the candidate is a favored candidate of Arroyo. Meanwhile, sisiw (chicks) is a term used by confident candidates to refer to their weak rivals.
Some politicians are proud animal lovers. Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson has opened a mini-zoo in his residential palace. His Siberian and Bengal Tigers are always shown on TV. Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos also uses the tiger as symbol of the city. Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza prefers the eagle as an icon. One of his campaign slogans is ‘Pagbabalik ng Lawin’ (Return of the Eagle). A group of cockfighters wants to enter congress through the partylist system.
Most animals are gentle beasts but they are often misunderstood by humans. The perceived ferociousness of animals is often compared to the wild behavior of politicians. This is unfair to animals. Maybe animal rights groups should warn politicians and writers to stop abusing the good image of animals. They may be animals but they are not as greedy, slothful and vicious as their human counterparts in politics.
erwin diokno dumlao
well, every body hates not the croks itself but the ugali of the crocks. swapang,ganid,matakaw,mamamatay etc.. lahat na yata ng masamang ugali ay nasASA BWAYA NA. pero ganun paman , may isang katangian ang bwaya na laging nakakabit sa kanya yun ay ang pagiging laging gutom. lahat na yata ng mga naging leader ng ating bansa ay gutom. gutom sa kapangyarihan sa salapi at sa popularidad. thats the very reason why this animal the crocks are being compared to our politicians not to humiliate the crocks but to enlighten those politicians who are doing tha same thing as the crocks. thanks for the crocks dahil malaki ang naitutulong nya sa pag gising ng maraming pilipinong gustong mag samantala sa mga kapwa ko pilipino.
Robin
This is a great and interesting topic-thank you for writing it! I agree with the idea that using animal names to refer to corrupt or deceptive or immoral people is unfair to the animals. It reinforces incorrect and negative perceptions about them. Take for example, the H1N1 virus that is commonly referred to as ‘Swine Flu.’ Surely that name has reinforced ideas in peoples’ minds that pigs carry terrible diseases – and hundreds of thousands of them were killed out of fear – when actually the virus is transmitted between people and not from pigs to people.
But one thing I highly disagree with here is that politicians in the Philippines such as Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson and the cockfighting congress-seekers are ‘animal-lovers.’ A real animal lover would never doom large wild cats like tigers to live out their lives in backyard cages and would also never train birds to die horrible and painful deaths for human entertainment.