Twitter Philippines revealed the top most used emojis used by Filipinos on the platform around the first presidential and vice-presidential debates organized by the Commission on Elections.
The microblogging platform said that during the debates held last March 19 to 20, the following emojis gained dominance:
- The beating heart
- The cherry blossom
- The sparkling heart
- The loudly crying face
- The rolling on the floor laughing face
This campaign season, pink is most commonly associated with presidential bet Vice President Leni Robredo who chose the hue because of its association with activism and protest.
“‘‘Yung pink ngayon ay siya ang lumalabas na global symbol of protest and activism. Hindi namin naplano ‘yung kulay kasi alam niyo naman gaano ka-belated ang aming decision. Ito ‘yung color ng groundswell ng volunteers,” she was quoted as saying before.
Robredo’s running mate is Sen. Kiko Pangilinan. Green is his campaign color but he also wears pink shirts in sorties.
Meanwhile, a professor from Lynn University in Florida previously said that pink has become the “color disruptor” in 2020.
“[Pink is] the color of change for so many around the world,” Andrew Burnstine was quoted as saying in The Guardian.
“To the millions of people who are demanding change in our political system, and to American democracy, the color pink is the new battle-cry,” he added.
The color was previously used in the United States as a protest color against former US president Donald Trump’s “misogyny.”
The debates
The Comelec conducted its first presidential and vice-presidential debates over the weekend to give the aspirants a chance to air their stances on issues and share their platforms of governance.
Those who failed to attend are the “UniTeam” tandem presidential bet Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his running mate, vice presidential bet Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Vice presidential candidate Rep. Lito Atienza (Buhay party-list) also failed to attend due to medical reasons. He is the running mate of Sen. Manny Pacquiao.
Last February, Comelec said that candidates’ non-attendance to debates should serve as a “red flag” for voters.
“It’s important that candidates take the opportunity to speak to the public, to present their plans for government in public… especially now that there is a lack of in-person opportunities,” Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez said in a report.