Business Mirror, Apr. 2, 2019, Cant Blame Celebrities.pdf

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fuesaaV,,fnrit 2,?-O19. Editor: Angel R. Calso

Cant blame celebrities

Candidates for local posts kicked off their campaigns on Friday, adding more showbiz personalities into the mix. A top-ratingTVseries hadto kill four of its main characters because the actors playing them, being candidates, are barued from such TVappearances during the campaign period. Eyeing a return to the Senate are Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and Lito Lapid, all multi-term senators in past Congresses. We won't call them actorsturned politicians because they have been dual-citizens and veterans ofboth politics and showbiz for some time now, like the current Senate president, Vicente "Tito" Sotto lll.

Among other showbiz personalities running in May are singer Freddie Aguilar, also seeking a Senate seat; singer-dancer and former Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secreiary Mocha Uson, running as a party-list representative; Vilma Santos running for reelection as representative of the Sixth District of Batangas; Richard yap running for congressman in Cebu; Richard Gomez, seeking reelection as mayor ofOrmoc Citp Isko Moreno, running for Manila Citt's m}.Dral po6t; Jolo Revilla, son of Bong, running for his last term as vice governor of Cavite; his mom, Lani Mercado, seeking a second term as mayor of Bacoor City; and Edu Manzano, running for congressman in San Juan. There are.more on the list, too many to enumerate in this space, but you get the picture.

We shouldnt blame actors and celebrities for running for political posts any more than we should blame politicians for using showbiz or posing like actors during their campaigns in an effort to win. We have no doubt that there are actors-turned-politicians whoiake public service seriously and have done well. They ve given up showbiz, at least during their stay in office, choosing to devote their time and energy to their government posts, making an effort to constantly improve themselves in the practice of public service. Of course, there ate also others,miserably failing at it. Our campaign season has always been very "showbiz' anyway. Celebrity endorsements and song and dance routines have always been part of philippine political campaigns. Charisma, celebrity and cash tend to trurnp character ard competence. In ancient Rome, where the Senate originated, to be a celebrity and to be famous is to be known for one's virtue, merit, accomplishments and exemplary deeds. They made portraits of farnous individuals and coupled them with glowing testimonials thatjustified their right togood reputation and famq.,. Nowadays, a celebrity-is known merely for being *e1l-known. Your being a celebrity does not depend o4 virtue or accomplishment. Indeed, somebody who has a million followers on social-media platforms like YouTube and Ins-

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Athletes and movie stars today are rnore popular than politicians, which is perhaps why politicians want to be in showbiz, so they could vie for the undiscriminating adulation of the public, and which is also why more actors and athletes want to run for public posts. They run because they cao win.

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