The Philippine Online Chronicles

Some 50 celebrities, actors and actresses, broadcasters and other personalities take the spotlight as they vie for national and local positions this coming May 10. Will their fame, personal charisma and popular appeal be enough to let them bag what could be the most serious and most important role of their lives?

Spectacular, spectacular!

Going into politics has been one career option for showbiz luminaries nowadays despite electoral losses suffered by many other hopefuls in 2007. While some believe their star power could amass enough support for an easy win, political analysts have been keen to emphasize how showbiz faces could be undeserving of the ‘big break’ what with their lack of experience in governance and public service. A number of showbiz heavyweights who ‘bagged the role’ managed to prove they have what it takes to lead their constituents after all. The others, however, failed miserably at the attempt, adding fuel to the fire started by the no-nonsense assertion made by political observers.

Before we further scrutinize how it is to be a famous media personality and a political candidate at the same time, here’s a rundown first of the celebrities who threw their hats in the political ring for the upcoming May 10 elections.

National Positions

Joseph ‘Erap’ Ejercito-Estrada

Action star and former President Joseph ‘Erap’ Ejercito Estrada takes on the ‘last performance of his life’ by running for the same position again. Estrada was ousted from the presidency in 2001, and was convicted of plunder in 2007. He was granted executive clemency on condition that he would not seek public office again.

Eduardo ‘Edu’ Manzano

Actor, host, TV personality and politican is the vice presidential running mate of Defense Secretary and Lakas-Kampi CMD standard bearer Gilbert Teodoro. Manzano entered politics in 1998 as Makati City’s Vice Mayor, after which he lost the Mayoralty position to Jejomar Binay, whom he goes head-to-head again in the battle for Vice Presidency this year. He became the first chairman of the Optical Media Board, a government agency tasked to address optical media piracy in 2004 and is also the co-founder of the non-profit advocacy organization called ‘Ako Mismo’.

After acknowledging an endorsement by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the former husband of ‘star for all seasons’ Vilma Santos and father of rising movie actor Luis Manzano was quoted saying, ‘Ang tugon ko sa hamon ng pagkakataon ay… Game na!’ (My response to the present challenge is… [I’m] game!’) The statement was an allusion to his former game show, ‘Pilipinas, Game KNB?’ (Philippines, are you ready?)

Manzano became the first chairman of the Optical Media Board (OMB) in 2004 and led an intensified anti-piracy campaign since then. The former game show host also established the Anti Child Abuse and Pornography (ACAP) Foundation on his own.

Aside from talking about his personal advocacy of eliminating child pornography and pushing the Filipinos’s love for sports towards harboring national pride, Manzano also believed in revisiting the budget allocation with emphasis on increasing the budget for education.

‘If I lose this election, I will quit show business,’ Manzano said in an interview.

Loren Legarda

Former broadcaster, TV host and environmentalist who once claimed she wanted to be ‘captain of the ship’ by aiming for the presidency this year. But she ate her words and inspired déjà vu by vying for the vice presidency instead, albeit for the second time around – the first being during the widely-contested 2007 elections as the late Fernando Poe Jr.’s running mate. Before the official filing of certificates of candidacies late last year, Legarda was once asked by the press why she wouldn’t have it as a VP candidate then. She retorted ‘[I’ve] been there, done that.’ Legarda now runs with standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar.

Jay Sonza

Veteran broadcaster, TV host, commentator, columnist and political adviser, Sonza eyes the vice presidential seat and runs under the banner of ‘Kilusang Bagong Lipunan’ (KBL).

‘Action’ stars

The senatoriable race is no less colorful and interesting. Movie actors Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla and Lito Lapid, whose performances in the Upper House are tagged as ‘definitely below Famas standards’, are making a come back.

Jinggoy Estrada

At age 29, Jinggoy Estrada filled the Vice-Mayoralty post and was tagged the youngest-elected local chief executive in the Philippines. He also became Mayor of San Juan from 1992 until 2001. It was during his term that San Juan earned the reputation of being one of the most progressive municipalities and the Most Peaceful Municipality in the Philippines. Estrada, who was dubbed ‘Anak ng Masa’ (Son of the Masses), was also elected Senator in May 2004. As Jinggoy’s term is set to expire this year, he continues to push for the ‘pro-poor’ programs started by his father, ousted President Joseph Estrada.

However, there will always be two sides to a coin, and the other side of Jinggoy Estrada’s story seems to be weighing the good one down. Despite his acquittal, Estrada has once again been accused of his involvement in jueteng, with Senator Panfilo Lacson implicating him as jueteng beneficiary and a traitor. Reports also say that instead of curtailing the illegal numbers game, Estrada is rather pushing for its legalization, and in effect, encouraging people to gamble and waste hard-earned money. Whatever happened to providing Filipinos with job opportunities?

Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla

Revilla was elected the youngest Member of the Philippine Senate in 2004 for a six-year term which expires this year. He serves as the Chairman of three committees, namely, Public Works, Public Information and Mass Media and the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Optical Media Board. Revilla was also the youngest Vice Governor and Governor in 1995 and 1998 consecutively. One of his "shining" moments was during the Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili scandal as he made several appearances on TV shows, lambasting Kho and stressing his pro-women stance. The said former Cavite governor, who is also a close ally of President Arroyo, succeeded in legislating a law that reduces the amusement tax of local films.

Very commendable political resumé – or so it seems. What could be an impressive track record may just be a bunch of shenanigans seen through rose-tinted glasses what with various accounts ‘exposing’ Revilla’s bad side. While the number one senatoriable boasts of having filed 500 bills, 107 of which were signed to law, reports reveal that most of these laws merely concern road-naming rather than alleviating poverty and other more important reforms. He is also accused of abusing his power as Senator and employing deceptive machinations to guarantee his win, if not his relative, in an election. Revilla is also tagged as the perfect example of a candidate who is only popular but has no platform.

Lito Lapid

Lapid is credited to have spearheaded a bill that gives tax breaks to lawyers who do pro-bono with the poor, a bill that requires proposed laws to be written in Filipino, and a bill banning the use of staple wires in food packaging. He has been criticized for his absences and non-participation in Senate sessions.

‘It was surprising to learn that Lito Lapid is still a Senator’, a report from the Philippine Online Chronicles (POC) says, explaining how Lapid was virtually inexistent throughout his six year-term in the Senate. Aside from allusions of a poor performance as a Senator, Lapid also faces quarry collections issues (together with his son, former Pampanga Governor Mark Lapid) and plunder cases filed by current Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio.

‘Lapid does not really have the heart of a Senator … was, and still is, not cut to be a Senator,’ the POC announces, stressing how Lapid makes an outright mockery of the institution by running again for the senate, all because the surveys favor him.

Watchdogs aboard

Following the tradition of journalists and broadcasters shifting gears to the political derby are Kata Inocencio, Gilbert Remulla, Alex Tinsay and Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel.

Gilbert Remulla

Former ABS-CBN reporter boasts of being one of the youngest members of the Philippine Congress. Remulla’s legislative portfolio include Republic Act (R.A.) 9165, or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. R.A. 9287, or the Act Increasing the Penalty for the Illegal Numbers Game. He holds a Masters degree in International Affairs at the Columbia University in New York City. Remulla has also worked for CNN and the United Nations.

Kata Inocencio

Broadcast journalist, child rights advocate and TV host vies for one of the 12 senatorial seats under Bro. Eddie Villanueva’s ‘Bangon Pilipinas’ (Rise up, Philippines) party. Inocencio’s platform focuses on the welfare of women and children, as well as battling corruption in the government.

Alex Tinsay

Aside from being a TV broadcaster, commentator and news anchor, Tinsay was also one of the producers of GMA 7’s ‘Streetwatch 117’ – the first anti-crime segment on national television.

Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel

Filipino activist, journalist, and politician performs her second term as the party-list representative of the Akbayan Citizens’s Action Party to the Philippines’s House of Representatives since 2004. Among the many awards to Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel’s name are the Kapisanan ng Mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas’s (KBP) Golden Dove Award for Best Female Newscaster, an esteemed Nobel peace prize nomination for her work as chair for the Government Panel’s Reciprocal Working Committee on Socio-Economic Reforms in the Peace Talks with the National Democratic Front from 1998 to 1999. She served as a broadcast journalist for ten years before venturing into politics.

Other contenders in the senatorial dozen

Imelda Papin

Dubbed as the ‘Sentimental Songstress’, Papin is considered one of the enduring names in the Philippine music industry. She is most famous for popularizing the OPM hit songs ‘Bakit (Kung liligaya ka sa piling ng iba)’ [Why – If you’ll be happier with somebody else] and ‘Isang linggong pag-ibig’ (A week of love).

Tito Sotto

Actor and TV host Tito Sotto was elected to the Senate in 1992. In his first term, he served as Assistant Majority Floor Leader and Chairman of the Senate Committees on Local Government, Tourism, Youth and Sports Development, Illegal Drugs, and Rural Development. He was also a member of the Commission on Appointments. He was reelected in 1998, with the highest vote total of any returning Senator.

Critics find it a shock to see Sotto’s name in the top 12 Senatorial surveys for 2010, considering the man did not have a substantial achievement as an illegal drugs fighter and Senator. And what’s more, part of his plans when he secures a senatorial seat this 2010 will be proposing a bill that allows plea bargains for small-time drug suspects.

Local Positions

The blockbuster roster of celebrities and celebrities by affinity does not end with those contending for the national positions; and perhaps leading the pack of political hopefuls is People’s champion and living boxing legend Manny Pacquiao for congressman of Saranggani. Other familiar faces in the running for local posts include: Lani Mercado for a congressional seat in Bacoor Cavite, Richard Gomez for congressman of Ormoc City, Batangas Governor Vilma Santos for re-election, Cesar Montano for governor of Bohol, 45-year old former actress Jobelle Salvador for vice mayor of Makati, then-sexy actress Alma Moreno as re-electionist councilor, and Robin Padilla’s brother, Romel Padilla as vice governor of Nueva Ecija.

Likewise, actress Marjorie Baretto vies as a re-electionist councilor for the Second District of Caloocan, singer Rico J. Puno as vice-mayoralty candidate for Makati, comedian Tado Jimenez as councilor for the First District of Marikina, Jestoni Alarcon for congressman in the Second District of Antipolo, while comedian-actors Joey Marquez and Anjo Yllana are running for mayor and vice-mayor, respectively, in the city of Parañaque. Continuing the seemingly endless foray of wannabes is actor and current Vice-Mayor of Manila Isko Moreno who wants to be re-elected for the same position and sexy star Angelica Jones who aspires to be a Board Member for the Third District of Laguna. Renowned indie actors Lou Veloso and Yul Servo, as well as former child star Robert Ortega, are also seeking reelection as councilors.

Quezon City is also filled to bursting with glittering celebrity candidates in the likes of current Vice-Mayor Herbert Bautista as Mayor, Aiko Melendez for Vice-Mayor, Arnel Ignacio as councilor for the First District, Ara Mina, Alfred Vargas and Roderick Paulate all competing for Councilor for the Second District, starlet Glenda Garcia and Sen. Tito Sotto’s only son, Gian Carlo Sotto both elbow-to-elbow as councilor candidates for the Third district, former sexy star and beauty queen Maria Isabel Lopez-Yokohama, actor Ricky Davao and showbiz talker and comedian Ogie Diaz all running for councilors for the Fourth District.

Of stardom and political ambitions: Public display of rejection

Re-electionist councilor Lou Veloso emphasized that while people look at their celebrity status as an advantage, it could also work to their disadvantage as the public tends to scrutinize their every move.

"We may get free publicity because we appear in films, theater and television, plus we even get paid. But it just so happens that this is our job. Pero mas kinakalkal naman ng tao ang buhay namin, mas mahirap ’yun (But people take a closer look at our lives, which is harder)," Veloso explained in an interview with the Inquirer.

This year’s Cinemalaya Best Actor also claimed that he has never allowed his acting career to take its toll on his work as a councilor. "Our work in the city council is basically legislative so, as much as possible, I see to it that I’m present during city council sessions. Apart from doing my other obligations for my constituents, I believe I am able to use my position to promote arts and culture by doing stage plays involving people in the communities, and by holding workshops for aspiring writers and production designers," Veloso said.

Netizens have also been loud with skepticism when it comes to showbiz personalities dominating the elections. One blogger says, ‘Not that these hordes of future legislators and executives’ will all be elected. But the sad thing—and this is the big reason why many of these clowns run for office—is that most of them will be chosen by the screaming and dancing groups of gray-matter-challenged electorate.’ Another user agrees, saying how the nation’s picture will all be just ‘drama’ if people will base their votes on sheer popularity.

On the other hand, stars still have a faint glint of hope with free-thinkers coming to their defenses. As one user puts it, some celebrities run for public service not because of their fame but because they have advocacies they have believe in. She seconds Veloso’s belief that popularity may even be more of an affliction than a blessing in their position. ‘Last 2007, many celebrities faded because voters are being matured enough to distinguish celebrity leaders from celebrity actors,’ she stresses.

‘Can our showbiz VIPs running for election see that the problems of the past hundred years of Philippine politics have been mainly due to highly-educated, privileged politicos who often cynically put self-interest above common good?’ dares one columnist, who, more than asking a mere question, poses a challenge to star arsenals. ‘Can we expect from them sweeping — not just cosmetic photo-op — changes? Can they selflessly and decisively champion the cause of true reforms?’, the column reads.

A star shines the brightest against darkness

Sharing her insights on what really matters in public service is ‘star for all seasons’ and Lipa, Batangas’s beloved Mayor, Vilma Santos. ‘Intelligence is important but it's not all intelligence. Kailangan may puso ka at may pulso ka sa mamamayan at handa kang magsakripisyo.’ (You need to have the heart and the pulse [to know what’s best for your] constituents and you should be ready for sacrifices), the critically-acclaimed movie icon said.

While stars have their share of skeptics and cynics, they also bank on the support of optimists, those who choose to believe that it isn’t really show business and media careers that endears celebrities to the public, but their political views, achievements and platforms (if they do have one). Some stars who have held government offices in the past also hope that people would look at their last performance rather than dismiss them as celebrities unfit for public service.

There will always be those who generalize showbiz personalities as incompetent wannabes, if not downright failures in the executive seats, but there will also be others who uphold the belief that some showbiz personalities have indeed aided in the course of our nation towards progress. Expectations and prayers are also rife that the elected, whatever his or her background may be, ‘will push for socio-economic, political and moral reforms to lessen mass poverty and fight endemic corruption in the Philippine society’ especially now that the country is in dire need of renewal and hope.

While the question on the qualifications and experience of stars may go on without end, one thing remains to be constant: some of these ‘brightlight people’ will have sure seats for the local and national government offices this coming May 10, and if spectators - rather voters - wouldn’t take it upon themselves to vote wisely, the country may well be going down the dumps and the political scene will turn into a movie that nobody would ever want to watch.

Photo: “Joseph Estrada delivering a speech at the University of the Philippines” by , “Nacionalista Party Rally at Tanza, Cavite” by Victor Villanueva, “Si Jinggoy” by Shubert Ciencia, c/o Flickr. Campaign posters by Edel Valera. Some Rights Reserved