The 2016 Elections are almost upon us and politicians are already campaigning in every way they can: from ads, posters, tarpaulins, campaign paraphernalia like shirts, fans, key chains, everything you can think of.
But there’s one campaign material that caught a netizen’s eye. One politician got really creative and had his name printed on a casket.
A photo of a casket with a mayor’s name printed on its side is going viral on the internet. A Facebook user named Marlon L. uploaded a photo of a white casket bearing a government official’s name in bold, red letters. The official was identified as Mayor Antonio “TJ” Rodriguez Jr. of Capas, Tarlac.
The photo has received different comments from netizens, mostly sarcastic ones about the mayor. Others just plainly said that the mayor has already crossed the line.
“No violations made”
According to Inquirer, Rodriguez said he only had noble intentions and there was no violations made in printing his name on his constituent’s casket. “Our intention was noble, to give a dignified wake. It was not intentional to promote myself,” Rodriguez stated.
Rodriguez justified the painting of his name on the coffins as a method to prevent the supplier from charging them twice. Furthermore, Rodriguez said his name has not been printed on caskets since more than three months ago when the double charging stopped.
Political rival responsible for posting photo on social media
Former mayor Reynaldo Catacutan, who is Rodriguez’s rival, admitted he shared the photo on social media to get comments.
“Why does he put his name on coffins funded by the government?” Catacutan stated. Catacutan will be third-time rival of Rodriguez for the same government post.
So, what are your thoughts about this mayor’s campaign gimmick? Do you think it is inappropriate or have you seen worse? Leave a comment below.