Manila:
South Korean rapper PSY has allowed Filipino politicians to use his “Gangnam Style” song and dance while campaigning for the May 2013 mid-term elections, a local paper said.
PSY waived his rights to the song, estimated to cost $30,000 for the use of any other foreign song, said the Inquirer.
That means all candidates from senators to governors and mayors, can use ‘Gangnam Style’ in their campaign, Congressman Teodoro Casiño of Bayan, a sectoral party at the House of Representatives, told the Inquirer.
“It’s a no brainer that we will have ‘Gangnam elections,’ especially since the songwriter has waived his copyright to his song and allowed the public to use it as it wishes and this includes the candidates (in the May elections),” said Casiño.
Analysing ‘Gangnam Style,’ Casiño said, “It is catchy, upbeat and memorable. It is what a campaign song should be.”
It would “probably eclipse” the sexy songs such as “Spaghetti Song,” dished out in earlier campaign trails by Sex Bomb Girls, including “Mr. Suave,” done by popular band Parokya Ni Edgar, predicted Casiño.
Those who favoured using ‘Gangnam Style’ were identified as former President Joseph Estrada, who is running for mayor of Manila; former senator Ernesto Maceda, who is seeking a Senate seat,
Estrada, the former president “was given a CD mix of ‘Gangnam Style’ as a campaign jingle and he liked it. I’m not sure if he will dance Gangnam on stage,” Margaux Salcedo, Estrada’s spokesman, told the Inquirer.
Maceda has already danced “Gangnam Style” onstage, confessed Salcedo.
However, Estrada’s son, senatorial candidate Joseph Victor Ejercito, said, “I have decided to look for another song in order to have my own mark (on the campaign trail).”
His campaign song, entitled, “Call Him JV,” was based on Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.”
Senators Francis Escudero and Alan Peter Cayetano opted to use other campaign songs. Cayetano preferred Don McLean’s “American Pie,” ciraca 1970; whole Escudero preferred local artist’s Quest and his song “Pagbabago (Change).”
Senator Gregorio Honasan preferred a song being made by his daughter Kai, a singer and songwriter.
Earlier, officials of the health department used Gangnam Style to promote a campaign against the use of firecrackers on New Year’s Eve.
Campaign period for the May elections is from March 29 to May 11.