Showbiz personalities who sought higher public office in the recently concluded elections were all not elected except one.

Movie idols like Cesar Montano, Richard Gomez, Christopher de Leon, Lito Lapid and his son Mark lost to lesser known personalities. Even boxing champion Manny Pacquiao didn't even get support he thought he had from the same people who idolize him for his boxing prowess.

The only exemption is the victory of Mayor Vilma Santos who is an actress-turned-politician. She won in the gubernatorial race on the basis of her exemplary performance as a city mayor for many years.

It's a relief to know that Filipinos have proven in the recent elections that we have already matured politically. I feel confident that this maturity will contribute to our efforts to improve as a nation.

hurrayyyy!!!!!




<br><br>Post edited by: linsi, at: 2007/05/18 08:53

These celebrities may have had the best of intentions and to be fair, they are to be commended for that but what the country needs right now are quality law makers who are qualified and in equal measure has to have the intent to serve and the ability to shun anything that has to do with personal gain.
I have nothing against showbiz personalities but our political arena has long been plagued by inexperienced politicians relying on their popularity and influence which has somehow sent a wrong message that &quot;anybody&quot; can run and govern the country. They may have been protagonists dodging bullets, saving lives and promoting truth and justice on their movie portrayals but in reality, coming up with laws that would effectively safeguard the welfare of the society in general can be a daunting task for the unprepared.
If these showbiz personalities are really sincere in helping out, they can set up charities and ensure that money generated would actually go to the cause. The possibilites are almost endless and in a trade where creativity is required, I'm sure they can come up with something.

To the Filipino voters who have contributed recently, a big thanks! <br><br>Post edited by: kayum, at: 2007/05/18 13:06

Even during the campaign period, celebrity aspirants didn't really show strong potential of electoral victory. Montano and Gomez's names never appeared in the pre-election surveys. Their popularity and celebrity status in show business didn't guarantee them the winning that probably put the actor politicians before them to Senate.

I remember Gomez saying in one of his interviews that the reason why he was running for Senate was because of his disappointment of the poor performance of politicians who are supposed to serve the public. Guess it's noble for him to have risked his resources in the elections in his bid to initiate change. But as kayum has said, he and other celebrities must know that it takes a set of qualities and relevant background to be able to create laws and policies.

Having our fellow countrymen vote intelligently and wisely is victory enough.
I think aside from what has already been pointed out here regarding celebrities running for a political position, I believe that a criteria should be met before they are to be nominated to be part of the party.

Because of lack of specific criteria for candidates seeking public office, the voting populace is always left with an array of &quot;low quality&quot; choices. The minimum qualifications set forth for candidates must be changed.

Its comes with time and social awareness that we could say we already earned maturity in choosing who to elect.