*Jozzua Notes from a Business and Marketing Strategist/Tactician

How NOT To Play ‘Spin Doctor’ on Blogs [The Pangandaman Golf-Mauling Incident]

Did you hear about the Nasser Pangandaman Golfing Mauling incident?

The son of Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman and several persons beat up a 14-year-old boy and his father at a golf course in Antipolo on Friday, the victims complained Saturday.

From the blog of the Bambee De La Paz (daughter of adult 'victim'):

At around 1:30 PM today, at Valley Golf and Country Club, Antipolo City, Mayor Nasser Pangandaman, Jr., Mayor of Masiu City, Lanao del Sur, his father, Secretary Nasser Pangandaman of the Department of Agrarian Reform, and company, beat my defenseless 56-year-old dad and my 14-year-old brother to a pulp because of some stupid misunderstanding on the golf course.

It's causing a big ruckus around the Philippine blogosphere.

Just a day after a golf club mauling incident was reported, dozens of blogs are denouncing alleged perpetrators who happen to be high-ranking government officials.

What's interesting is how the spin doctors (the politician's Public Image team) are trying to turn the opinion of the masses.

It's fascinating, for instance, how some 'bloggers' redirect the issue from the Mauling incident to an EVERYONE VS MINDANAO issue:

I also do hope that there will be more Mindanaoans who will be blogging soon, just to help also clean our Island’s name. When people who hails from Mindanao are involved in fights or controversies like this, chances are.. there will be some who will say or think of us here in Mindanao as being war freaks.

See what's happening here? There is a bit of misdirection/redirection going on. There is also an 'appeal to emotion' tactic that seems to be applied. Check out the comments on Filipino Voices:

hinatyin nalang natin sino manalo in the ends.. wala rin namn kayong magagawa kasi puro paninira, at dpat hindi na pumupunta si dela paz sa mga golf club..his nothng!wala rin kayong karapatan para e put down mga taga mindanao kc kung tutuusin mas may pera at mas galante sila and hindi puro salita lang… ala ko rin namn isa lang ang gumagawa ng blog dito! nakakaawa ka namn!

Doubt is being instilled on the issue. Then there is a perception of Authority that is being impressed by the commenter:

Below is a true and actual narration of the incident that happened last December 26, 2008 at the Valley Golf Club, Antipolo, Rizal.
On December 26, 2008 at around 11:00am, our group composed of Rene Maglanque, Sec. Nasser Panagandaman, Arnel Estacio and Atty. Faisal ...

You can read the entire comment - which suspiciously looks like a well-crafted press release item.

Ahh, how technology, blogging and live commenting can bring out the creativity in People eh? Whether or not this issue-deflection is intentional or not, it is a rather lame argument.

Unfortunately for OLD-school politicians and PR firms, the Internet is a vastly different ballgame (at least for now). A different set of Persuasion and Influence techniques must be adopted.

For one thing - the politicians may be the power-brokers off line. Online, however, bloggers with large RSS numbers (subscribers) rule. The voices that influence the blogosphere are not the same people on Newspapers and on government positions.

Warlordism doesn't apply here.

UPDATED:

Looks like this is the real PR site being spun:

So far, in the internet and news on televisions I've only heard dela paz side. Let's not drop into conclusions and lets also hear the other side of the story which I myself think is much more relevant. There are many inconsistencies in dela paz' stories that makes it even harder to believe them.

The dela Paz siblings should be banned from jungolf & all golf courses. They were a flight of two when the club prohibited it bacause it was a holiday...

They had to use multiply for this.

Yolynne is a true Mindanaoan and a 'legitimate' person (not a doctor but a teacher - see below).

Thanks to Ade for the head's up.