Elections are more entertainment than enlightenment in the Philippines.
Every night, candidates travel from town to town in whistle-stop motorcades packed with comedians, pop singers, movie stars and basketball heroes.
They sing and chant political slogans, dance and hand out partisan, colour-coded T-shirts, baseball caps and wristbands to crowds of equally enthusiastic potential voters.
Party labels, ideology and issues have virtually nothing to do with the campaigns. Politicians instead rely on the strength of their personalities and two traditional
Philippine formulas for success-- "family and favours" and "guns, gold and girls."
In many ways, the Philippines' elections can be compared to the country's popular soap operas. Behind the conflicting web of personal relationships, business interests and shared histories lies a wavering uncertain mass of shifting alliances, angry accusations and desperate political showmanship.
And, just as on television, a fear of violence and bloodshed lingers in the background. So far, more than 90 people have been killed in the run-up to the May 10 polls.