OPINION: NOYNOY NEEDS MORE FIRE IN HIS BELLY

OPINION: NOYNOY NEEDS MORE FIRE IN HIS BELLY

MANILA, FEBRUARY 5, 2010 (STAR) DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco - If only Noynoy had more fire in his belly than smoke in his lungs, he wouldn’t have lost his hefty lead over Manny Villar in the presidential race. The problem with Noynoy is that he seems to exude a sense of entitlement to the position… he seems detached which explains what looks like a lack of enthusiasm in his campaign style. Worse, his handlers seem to be infected with the same problem. Ika nga… parang may kayabangan.

Manny Villar, on the other hand, is on a charm offensive, visibly hungry for the position and using everything he has to take the leadership position in the race. Villar and his handlers are also showing efficiency and professionalism in managing the campaign. An election after all, is won not just by the best of intentions but by a well thought out and executed campaign strategy.

Some enthusiastic Noynoy supporters are comparing him to Obama but they are wrong. While it is true that Noynoy like Obama has attracted a lot of idealistic people hungry for change and clamoring for decency in public service, Obama had an excellent campaign organization that did things in a timely manner. They carefully monitored ever changing voter sentiment and responded quickly.

I noticed, for instance, that Noynoy’s communications handlers did not take advantage of the time before the official start of the campaign to have more media commercials to cement the emotional tie of their candidate to the voters. And from what I hear, it is not because they didn’t have enough money. They had the funds but were apparently reluctant to spend. Worse, what little they had seem to be off-strat.

On the other hand, Villar and even Dick Gordon and specially Gibo are all over town with their messages. The poll results this week is therefore not surprising. The political amateurs handling Noynoy should have realized that campaign funds rise and fall with the poll numbers. If they invested what money they had over the last two months in a massive media campaign with a single-minded message against corruption, that would have boosted their poll numbers and the money spent more than replenished by eager donors.

The thing with sagging poll numbers is that it is difficult to bring it up again after the messages of rivals have sunk in. Now that the poll numbers of Noynoy and Villar have come closer, it would be more difficult for Noynoy to break away again specially because the emotional link with Tita Cory and her death has started to dissipate.

It does not help that some Noynoy supporters keep on complaining about Villar’s billions being spent on the campaign. That’s a given from the start, something they should have prepared for. For all we know, Villar is telling the truth that the only reason it seems he is spending a lot is because he knows how to spend his money efficiently.

I have heard that Villar has locked up the prime time spots equivalent to what is allowed by the Comelec and was merely using a lot of bonus spots before the official campaign period started. I am afraid that once Noynoy’s handlers decide to buy media spots, they would find themselves relegated to non prime times.

I still believe that the good versus evil (anti corruption) theme of the Noynoy candidacy is their strongest message and should have been more creatively exploited to keep his poll numbers up. I have yet to be convinced Noynoy and his handlers know what they are doing. I hope and pray that they do. They need to spell out how much corruption is costing the nation, why it is the cause of poverty and why we are in this rut.

Noynoy’s campaign needs to reach out to former supporters who started having doubts about him. People like them are already presold to Noynoy and just need to be reassured. We need to increase the gap between Noynoy’s and Villar’s numbers again. Anything less than 51 percent support in the poll numbers endangers his hoped for victory.

Once more with feeling… unless we see the fire in Noynoy’s belly soon, he may end up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Toyota problems

News dispatches concerning runaway Toyota cars with unintended acceleration problems are getting to be pretty scary for a Toyota car owner like myself. Sudden unexplained acceleration of Toyota cars have been linked to 19 deaths in the last decade, according to Henry Waxman, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee of the US House of Representatives.

The recalls are being made in the US and Europe and the local Toyota guys are saying we have no problem here. But if the problem is as basic as the car computer system, could it be we have the same problems here but they just have a more proactive regulatory system abroad? In fact, I don’t know what government agency here should grill Toyota on this.

According to the New York Times, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement Tuesday that Toyota had announced the recalls only after department officials flew to Japan “to remind Toyota about its legal obligations.” Mr. LaHood contended that federal safety officials, in the meeting with Toyota in Japan, had to “wake them up” to the seriousness of the situation.

American lawmakers are also skeptical that the fix Toyota is undertaking solves the problem of runaway and out of control Toyota cars. Representatives Henry A. Waxman and Bart Stupak asked Toyota to provide documents to prove that the computer systems on its cars were not at fault.

The New York Times reports, Toyota has said that computers on its cars were not at fault. But safety advocates and consumers continue to raise questions about the cars’ electronic systems, which they say could cause a car’s throttle to stick causing cars to speed up unexpectedly, according to the New York Times.

Last Monday, Toyota announced a remedy meant to prevent accelerator pedals from sticking on 2.3 million vehicles in the United States. Toyota also has recalled more than five million vehicles because their floor mats could become stuck in floor pedals.

The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports that Toyota did not install brake override systems despite complaints, even as several other automakers deployed the technology to address such malfunctions. The brake override systems allow a driver to stop a car with the footbrake even if the accelerator is depressed and the vehicle is running at full throttle. In other words, it makes sure every time a driver steps on the brake, the car should stop. Apparently, this did not happen in many Toyotas including a Lexus that killed a California Highway Patrol officer and his family in San Diego.

The systems are an outgrowth of new electronics in cars, specifically in engine control. “If the brake and the accelerator are in an argument, the brake wins,” a spokesman at Chrysler told the Washington Post in describing the systems, which it began installing in 2003.

Volkswagen, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz also install such systems in at least some of their cars, the Washington Post reports, some as far back as 10 years ago. General Motors installs brake override in all of its cars. “Most other automakers have adopted this technology,” Sean Kane, a former researcher at the Center for Auto Safety who now works at Safety Research and Strategies told the Washington Post. Not adding the systems “is one of the mistakes that created this perfect storm for Toyota.”

Toyota Motor began facing complaints of runaway cars years ago, but the company did not install “brake override” systems in those vehicles, even as several other automakers deployed the technology to address such malfunctions. Toyota has blamed the unintended accelerations on faulty floor mats and their installation, as well as defective accelerator pedals, which they are seeking to redesign. The problem however, may be in its car computer system or a lack of a brake override system, and Toyota is apparently reluctant to even look at these possibilities.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

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