When celebrities become politicians

Ara Mina, Marjorie Barretto, Shamcey Supsup, Marco Gumabao are just some of the celebrities vying for public posts in the May 2025 polls. Images from their Instagram pages

Why do celebrities want to enter politics in the first place?

In the Philippines, celebrities transitioning into politics is not a rarity. Like many Juan dela Cruz among us, some of them are drawn to politics out of frustration with the status quo, believing their personal perspective and experiences can bring fresh ideas and innovative solutions to some industries in the government.

Leveraging their popularity and communication skills to connect with constituents, they advocate for important causes, and push for legislative reforms championing issues like education, environmental protection, or poverty alleviation — using their platform to raise awareness and mobilize support for these initiatives. Lady Luck is on their side when their fame provides instant name recognition and a built-in platform to reach a large audience, allowing them to quickly mobilize support and bypass the traditional political entry.

However, for some, their fame can initially draw criticism and accusations of relying solely on popularity, among many others. But the good news is, those who dedicate themselves to learning the ropes, crafting well-researched policies, and genuinely serving their constituents can prove to be effective and transformative leaders.

According to the Commission of Elections, at least a hundred celebrities and media personalities registered as candidates for the 2025 midterm elections. We had the chance to either work or had a brief encounter with a handful of these candidates.

We met with senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla separately last year during a Christmas party and a media courtesy call respectively. While he isn’t running in the May 2025 elections, Sen. Estrada promised full support to showbiz industry. On the other hand, Sen. Revilla was ecstatic over the passage of the Centenarian Act which he lobbied at the Senate. In January this year, he provided a huge amount of guarantee letter for a fellow media in dire need after undergoing thrombectomy. Incidentally, his iconic comedy TV show, “Walang Matigas na Pulis sa Matinik na Misis” won the Best Mini Series in the recently-concluded PMPC Star Awards for TV.

Former governor Chavit Singson, who later backed out of the senate race, launched his own online bank last December to help the unbanked Filipinos and small-time business owners.

Actor-talent manager and entrepreneur Wilbert Tolentino launched his Ahon Mahirap party-list, an offshoot of his philanthropic foundation which helped many poor families especially during the pandemic.

Former news reporter-turned entrepreneur/inventor Virginia Rodriguez espouses for natural, organic farming and advanced technology for a truly productive agriculture in the country and a cancer-free Philippines.

Ara Mina announced her vision for a Smart City for Pasig City with special centers for PWDs and for those suffering with mental health. Her former party-mate, beauty queen Shamcey Supsup is also trying her luck as councilor.

Marjorie Barretto will also run for councilor in Caloocan, while actor Marco Gumabao is running for the same position the 4th district of Camarines Sur.

So many other celebrities will aspire for public office. To all the candidates, we wish you well and good luck. To the eventual winners, please serve well.

Artist with a past

This international artist is well-loved in the Philippines. After all, she had lived in the country for a time before making it big abroad.

She is admired for her resiliency, for overcoming hindrances, including poverty, and becoming successful in the entertainment scene. Her fragile-looking and seemingly sweet appearance endeared her to fans even more.

Every time she is in the country, she “voluntarily” becomes an ambassador of many things Filipino, from fastfood brands to tourist destinations, by endorsing them in her videos which she documents and posts in her social media accounts.

Unknown to many, the young woman despised her past — for having lived a hard life in the Philippines. A group of curious fans followed her up in her home country and was disappointed with the television interviews there. According to them, the artist would always be announcing on local TV programs abroad that she never liked the food in the Philippines and that she would always end up hungry, among other things.

Good thing, the fans said, there was still no social media that time so that the woman’s sad experiences and ugly picture of the Philippines did not escalate — for her own good.

Until now, the artist is well-received every time she’s on a visit. Fortunately, no one in Philippine showbiz has ever asked her about her previous pronouncements. Could it be that she said those things simply because she was trying to win the sympathy and love of her hometown? Or maybe she was then too young and didn’t know that it could backfire?