Battle of the stars

After a lull in the last few days due to the holiday season, we can expect things to get more intense in the political arena with the top candidates using showbiz stars to boost their candidacy even more. Everyone knows star appeal — or as some say, the “celebrity factor” — is a powerful magnet to attract voter attention.

Being familiar names and faces with a following of their own, showbiz personalities naturally generate a lot more interest than ordinary individuals. That’s why it’s not surprising for candidates to maximize their presence in campaign sorties and political rallies to draw in the crowds who expect to be entertained by these stars.

Obviously, Noynoy Aquino is an early frontrunner in this “battle of the stars” with such high-value showbiz celebrities like his younger sister Kris and talk-show host Boy Abunda who, before Noynoy declared his candidacy, was endorsing Nacionalista Party standard bearer Manny Villar.

Aquino’s TV ad featured such big names as Sharon Cuneta, Marian Rivera, Dingdong Dantes, Regine Velasquez and boyfriend Ogie Alcasid — prompting Villar’s party mates to urge him to get celebrity endorsers as well to match the heavyweights in the Liberal Party camp.

A top name among Villar supporters in showbiz is popular “Wowowee” host Willie Revillame with his loyal masa following. Then there’s comedy king Dolphy and gag show host/parodist Michael V a.k.a. “Bitoy” and “Yaya.” But perhaps the greatest coup is Manny Pacquiao’s crossover to the Nacionalista Party. Pacquiao, who is himself running for Congress in Sarangani, was previously identified with the administration party of GMA.

In fact, people have been trying to get him to endorse Lakas-Kampi candidate Gilbert Teodoro but for some reason, Manny decided to throw in his lot with his namesake. This development, as Nene Pimentel described, is a “big boost” to Villar’s presidential bid because the Pacman phenomenon has global appeal, with fans coming from a cross section of society, transcending age, gender and all shapes and sizes.

We don’t know yet whom Gilbert Teodoro will use for his campaigns aside from his vice presidential candidate Edu Manzano, who also has a respectable following as a game show host. The Lakas-Kampi camp had hoped to capitalize on the star power of Batangas governor Vilma Santos but she and her husband have since transferred their allegiance to the Liberal Party.

Over the years, “star value” has always figured in Philippine politics, with politicians soliciting the endorsement of popular showbiz personalities in the belief that these could translate into millions of votes for them. Even GMA was able to capitalize on her perceived resemblance to Nora Aunor, known as the “Superstar” of Philippine showbiz.

Jamby Madrigal — a virtual unknown during the 2004 elections — successfully landed on the 4th spot through the endorsement of actress Judy Ann Santos. Can NP’s Adel Tamano do the same with the endorsement of action star and Muslim convert Robin Padilla? 

As things stand, showbiz and politics have become so intertwined with so many actors becoming politicians themselves. As a matter of fact, Quezon City has been dubbed as the “City of Stars” owing to the numerous showbiz personalities gunning for every position from kagawad to mayor. To this day, the most successful so far is Joseph Estrada who has risen from mayor to senator, vice president and president. By June, people will see if Erap will be able to parlay his popularity into political success once again as he makes another bid for the presidency.

Those who remember Rogelio dela Rosa say he is the first to use his celebrity status to get elected for a national position — as senator — in 1957. And had he pushed through with his presidential candidacy, who knows? He might have become president, but as it is, the actor reportedly gave way to Diosdado Macapagal (whose first wife Purita was Dela Rosa’s sister).

Even in the US, the link between Hollywood and Washington has been in existence for many years. According to experts, the first known endorsement of a presidentiable started with actor/singer Al Jolson who put together a group of celebrities for Warren Harding’s campaign in 1920. And then there’s Ronald Reagan, the Hollywood actor who became one of the most admired presidents in the US.

However, experts say that although having big celebrities in one’s camp may provide a boost to some extent, this may not necessarily translate into actual winning votes, just like in the case of John Kerry who in 2004 had Whoopi Goldberg, Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Barbra Streisand, among many others.

Voters are also cautioned against relying purely on the endorsement of celebrities when it comes to choosing candidates. While it’s true that the names and popularity of these stars are strategic marketing tools in endorsing all kinds of products from soap to shampoo to toothpaste and perfume, voting for a president is an altogether different matter. Unlike a product that you can simply change or throw away when you’re not happy with it, the same can’t be done with elected leaders whose presence Filipinos will have to endure for at least three years for local positions and six years for president.

Which is why this New Year, aside from seeing Filipinos display more discipline in simple things such as obeying traffic rules, a dream resolution is that voters will show more political maturity when it comes to politics. Here’s hoping that they will not vote out of sentimentality or emotionalism, but on the belief that the person they are choosing has what it takes to lead this country as it faces tough new challenges in the coming years.

* * *

E-mail: [email protected]