The Philippine Online Chronicles

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is with a heavy heart that I keep count of the days before our beloved president could (potentially step down). As of this writing, there are only 140 days before she steps down. This is the Countdown to Stepdown: It’s like a Christmas countdown, only sadder.)

Nation, I am very happy to know that Quezon City will be in good hands come election time. Not only will the esteemed Mike Defensor be running for mayor, another shining beacon of hope and change will also be running: none other than Ara Mina.

Ara Mina made headlines late last year because she petitioned the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to let her continue working in showbiz despite filing her certificate of candidacy. My apologies, allow me to correct myself: she made the news, not necessarily the headlines. Not enough people cared for it to constitute being headline material, but surely, all five of her fans were excited about it.

Now, as if to prove that her priorities are focused solely on Quezon City, Ara Mina recently intimated on television (At around 0:45 in the clip) that she was clueless about the Maguindanao massacre issue. I cannot help but sympathize with her. After all, there is absolutely no information about the Maguindanao massacre whatsoever! How can we possibly expect an individual as busy as Ara Mina, who is contending both with a showbiz career and her commitment to give her undivided attention to her constituency in Quezon City, to keep track of what’s going on in far-flung Mindanao? That’s well out of her jurisdiction, and should be none of her concern.

Furthermore, who are we to judge her support for private armies? Lest we blame her for giving the wrong answers, perhaps it was Mo Twister who was giving the wrong questions. Given the very misleading and technical terms Mo used to question Ara Mina, let us allow for the possibility that she merely misinterpreted the words “private” and “armies,” and we were so quick to assume that those two words when combined meant something that is supposedly illegal in the first place, whether or not the Maguindanao massacre happened.

A good political analyst friend of mine, one Chino Liao, gave a ringing endorsement for Ara Mina. He even predicted how she would posit herself when she runs for a national post in a few years. You see, the potential for greatness is there. While Mayor Jejomar Binay harps ad nauseam that “Ganito kami sa Makati, sana ganito rin sa buong Pilipinas,” Ara Mina’s future battlecry will trump that in spades: “Ganito kami sa Quezon City: magulo. Ganito na rin sa buong Pilipinas!” He believes in his gut, as do I, that Ara’s credentials speak for themselves: multiple soap opera roles, multiple film roles, multiple commercial endorsements, countless “Star of the Night” awards, and even a hotter sister.

Best of all, she has had a long-running stint in a comedy show (Bubble Gang) that would best prepare her for a short-running stint in another comedy show (City Council, 2nd District of Quezon City.). What more could we ask for?

Nation, let us all get behind Ara Mina. Ara Mina has two huge advantages over all the other contenders for councilor in the second district of Quezon City: her commitment to serve, and her focus on Quezon City and only Quezon City, Maguindanao be damned. She will make an excellent leader who will inspire many. Her body of experience, not to mention that of her father and grandfather, cannot be understated. She has an enormous heart for her constituents, and will always keep them abreast of the best means to uplift her district. The electorate of her district will be energized by her sheer presence, and arouse genuine concern for development. Truly, she has the assets needed to lead, and these qualities are thankfully not being denied from our boob tubes. Maybe if they get lucky, Cristine Reyes can even help out during the campaign on a tit for tat basis. Truly, Ara Mina is the bosom buddy of Quezon City, and an asset to Philippine politics.

Nation, I am Marcelle Fabie, and I hereby award my seal of approval to Ara Mina as your councilor, second district of Quezon City!

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The views presented in this article are not necessarily shared by those of the POC, Stephen Colbert, or even the author himself.)

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Ara Mina on I.M.O. with Mo Twister. (AndiandJessica)