Mashup Politics: When Names Campaign Without Consent

Mashup Politics: When Names Campaign Without Consent

BAGUIO CITY — What’s in a name? In politics, everything—and sometimes, nothing. Especially during election season, names morph into symbols, battle cries, or branding experiments meant to stir loyalty—or at least raise eyebrows. That’s where “VerBom” comes in—a freshly coined portmanteau of congressional frontrunner Gladys Vergara and mayoralty aspirant Atty. Benny Bomogao.

Never mind that Vergara doesn’t have a mayoral candidate in her official slate. She remains a free agent—unclaimed but widely courted. In the absence of formal alliances, some have taken it upon themselves to imagine one. Thus, VerBom. A nickname born not of strategy, but perhaps of longing. Or marketing. Or mischief.

But for those with longer memories, VerBom is more than just a mashup—it’s a throwback. It echoes Timpuyog, the once-mighty Vergara-Domogan alliance that ruled Baguio politics for years. Built on legacy, machinery, and old-school loyalty, Timpuyog eventually came to represent everything traditional and transactional about local politics: patronage, compromise, and control.

That alliance shattered when Domogan, in a calculated move, pulled his support for Gladys Vergara’s congressional bid—only to file his own candidacy against her at the last minute. The betrayal was personal. During Vergara’s campaign kickoff, her father—former Congressman and Mayor Bernardo Vergara—made no effort to hide his disappointment. Speaking before supporters, he recalled how, back in 2016, Domogan had urged him to retire from politics due to age. Now, with Domogan at 78—older than Vergara was then—the elder statesman suggested it may be time for Domogan to finally hang up his gloves and pass the torch to a younger generation.

So yes, the VerBom pairing is not real—but it is revealing.

Because this isn’t just about names. It’s about how campaigns are shaped not only by platforms and positions, but also by projection. When candidates won’t—or can’t—form coalitions, others will do it for them. These imagined tandems, stitched together in conversations, slogans, and memes, show how voters (and operators) make meaning where there is none. They fill in the blanks. They draft the alliances they wish existed.

And if a name sticks? Sometimes, that’s enough to make people believe it was real all along.

But if nameplay is the game, VerBom might want to take a number. VERGALONG is already setting the tone as the de facto tandem—quietly, credibly, and with chemistry. Meanwhile, VERGO—Vergara and Rep. Mark Go—is the ghost ticket everyone keeps whispering about, though neither side has officially acknowledged it. In a season flooded with fantasy pairings, some names are imagined, others inevitable.

VerBom may be catchy. But not all mashups are meant to last.