“Kampihan natin ang Inaapi” Mentality and How Binay Uses it as Leverage in his Presidential Bid

*adapted

Remember when Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay brazenly attended on 15 September a general open forum portion of an event titled “Forum on Governance, Transparency and Social Transformation” at the University of the Philippines – Los Baños, a branch campus of the premier University of the Philippines.

Due to the fact that Vice President Binay has been hounded by corruption allegations on all sides, it is no wonder that the university students (UPLB) pressed Binay in answering their queries concerning the allegations against him. The open forum, however, became heated as the questions and subsequent reactions of the students “pinned down” Binay, the latter forced to utter somehow contradictory statements. The Vice President was openly jeered by the unsatisfied students as a result.

One example on how Binay got “roasted” is when he was forced to admit that there are indeed informal settlers in Makati City, despite brandishing in his propaganda that Makati City is a “highly developed ‘rich’ city”. When the student pointed out the existence of informal settlers in Makati, a seemingly surprised Binay initially challenged the student to point out where the informal settlers are, but in the end a piqued Binay said that “The informal settlers in Makati are just 3% or 5%”, a subtle contradiction to his earlier statement that there are no informal settlers in the highly-urbanized city. This was just an example of the many heated exchanges he encountered with socially-aware students of UPLB.

Why would Binay, who cunningly evaded the questioning press and even turned down a live debate in which corruption issues would be discussed, allow himself to be “roasted” in a forum turned “inquisition”?

The most probable answer is simple - he wanted to get taunted and jeered.

I remember an essay by Nicanor Tiangson titled “Four Values in Filipino Drama and Film”. Basically the essay not only touched upon the Filipino taste for entertainment but also ultimately linked it to the socio-cultural phenomenon behind it. One of the principal values usually encountered in stereotypical Filipino dramas is “Mabuti ang Inaapi” or “Hurrah for the Underdog”. It is usually the bida (main protagonist) who is initially maltreated and abused in Filipino dramas, and this ingrained the value that we should automatically side with the oppressed. There is nothing wrong with persecution, Tiangson pointed out in the essay, but the idea that the oppressed are always the good guys is something we both disapprove.

You see, the students of UPLB who roasted him in the forum, the upper-middle class users of Twitter who continuously bash Binay (even ad hominem attacks), and the people who are celebrating his public roasting are portrayed as “Binay’s oppressors”, the “kontrabidas” (antagonists) of a seemingly honorable Vice President (or so it appears). His attendance was not about convincing the UPLB students - it was about gaining publicity and ultimately, drawing a sharp contrast between people who oppose him and people who support him. His attendance and subsequent public "humiliation" at the hands of the perceived middle-class and upper-middle class lends momentum to the idea of a class struggle. He wanted to show people how he would be brutalized by university students even after graciously accepting an invitation to a college forum. He is a Machiavellian genius when it comes to politics, as he keeps a superficial down-to-earth image in order to convince the majority of voters, lower class citizens, that he is one with them.

  The worse part is that his plan appears to be working, and the main contributor to his success does not lie in his already-villified allies but in his detractors. Many of his detractors, like the netizens he ired, contributed to this image of a “class struggle”. Slogans like "No To Nognog" and memes making fun of his skin color and his looks placed emphasis on the distinction between his supporters and his detractors. The majority of voters – especially those unaware about the allegations about him, would automatically sympathize with the man they believe is like them – a man oppressed by the elitist rich people. (Even presidential candidate Mar Roxas is criticized as an elitist by die-hard Binay loyalists.) Notice how the 670 sister cities of Makati are usually underdeveloped municipalities in far-away provinces,

Either way, his maltreatment at the hands of UPLB students still brought more publicity for him. (As the saying goes, “bad publicity is still publicity.”) Let us not underestimate the Machiavellian prowess of Binay and his underlings. What his cam did was an intelligent and calculated decision based on the simple fact that the uneducated voters outnumber the educated voters.

*This is an adapted work and the blog owner will not be responsible for the accuracy of the data in this article.

Credits to the Following:

Mr. David Yap

Netizen Denzel