Some stars shone, some faded in May 10 elections

The defeat of action star Fernando Poe Jr. in the presidential elections could signal the diminishing charm of show biz folk over voters, but other prominent personalities somehow were able to tap the old magic to get elected to office.

If anything, judging by the generally mixed fortunes of movie stars who crossed over into politics in the May polls, Poe’s defeat may be an isolated, albeit an admittedly huge, setback.

In the thick of the campaign season last April, a study made by the Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC) of the Ateneo de Manila University debunked the popular myth that the masa vote tided into office basically unqualified people, among them movie stars and trapos (traditional politicians).

The poor, who comprise the bulk of the Filipino electorate, have been blamed for their easily being razzled and dazzled by tinseltown, such that they are wooed by song and dance rather than credentials, platform of government, or debate.

But the IPC study revealed that the poor "actually ranked education, experience, platform and track record as important criteria for choosing candidates and celebrities are not necessarily preferred by voters."

Whether Poe’s defeat in the presidential race is a validation of this pioneering study is for political analysts to ponder, but it remains clear that across the country there is a fair mix of showbiz denizens who made it and those who plainly fell short.

In Metro Manila, one of the first to concede defeat was outgoing Parañaque Mayor Joey Marquez, who lost his bid for a seat in congress to former national security adviser Roilo Golez.

Marquez’s gentlemanly act was considered a gracious exit for the local politician after 12 years of service, starting in 1992 when he was elected vice mayor of the city.

If misery loves company, Marquez’s ex-wife Alma Moreno also lost in the city’s mayoral race, while his son Jeremy was an also-ran for councilor.

But Parañaque gained a new local executive from showbiz, Vice Mayor Anjo Yllana, comedian and mainstay of sitcoms and a noontime show.

A disappointing run it was too for the Malonzo couple in Caloocan. After three terms as mayor, former action star Rey Malonzo this time lost in his bid to represent the city’s second district in Congress. Voters instead chose former vice mayor Oscar Malapitan.

Gigi Malonzo, on the other hand, lost to Enrico Echiverri for her husband’s old post.

In other parts of Metro Manila, another controversial figure lost his mayoral bid to a popular incumbent. Singer-actor and self-styled vigilante Sonny Parsons was trounced in the polls by Marikina City Mayor Marides Fernando.

In Rizal, jukebox king Victor Wood did not make it in the vice gubernatorial race. But another actor, Jestoni Alarcon got the voters’ nod for the post. Alarcon, unlike Wood, has served as Cainta councilor.

Two actors also slugged it out in the Quezon City vice mayoral race, with veteran politician Herbert Bautista defeating his less experienced rival, singer-actor Dingdong Avanzado.

Elsewhere in the Metro Manila, other stars who failed to win as councilors in their respective localities included Red Sternberg (Pasay), Dino Guevara (Parañaque), JC Castro and Jeffrey Santos (Caloocan), and Jay Manalo (Manila).

Experience Over Popularity?

Star-struck or not, Filipino voters didn’t have second thoughts about giving other movie stars who have faithfully been serving their constituents for a time, another shot at local governance.

Multi-awarded actress Vilma Santos won a third and last term as Lipa City mayor. Quezon City councilor Aiko Melendez was also re-elected, as were veteran actor-councilors in Manila – Isko Moreno, Robert Ortega and Cita Astals.

And in Makati City, singer Rico J. Puno won as councilor for the third time.

It’s also a sure win for presidential son and moonlighting actor Mikey Arroyo as the newly elected representative for Pampanga’s second district. Arroyo was the vice governor of the province for the last three years.

In Laguna, actor Daniel Fernando was re-elected as board member but another actor, Dan Fernandez, a former vice mayor, didn’t make it as Laguna governor. In Pagsanjan town, ER Ejercito, brother of actor Gary Estrada, won a second term as mayor, but Gary himself failed in the mayoralty race in San Antonio, Quezon.

Other big winners in the Senate race are Bong Revilla, who had been Cavite governor and chairman of the Videogram and Regulatory Board; Lito Lapid, the outgoing Pampanga governor; and Jinggoy Estrada, also a former actor and San Juan mayor.

Political neophytes who lost in the Senate race despite being big names in the entertainment industry were Boots Anson-Roa, Pilar Pilapil and broadcaster Jay Sonza.

Basketball icon and Sen. Robert Jaworski also did not get re-elected to the Senate, although his son and namesake Dudut won as congressman of Pasig.

Despite a lineage of politics in her province of Pangasinan, rhythm and blues singer Viktoria (real name Teresita Victoria Agbayani), a sister of Pangasinan Gov. Victor Agbayani, lost in the mayoralty race in Sual town. Viktoria was looking to succeed her brother Luis, who had already served three terms.

While others are saying that the failure of another actor to grab the highest position of the land was a knee-jerk reaction of the Filipino electorate to the chaos that attended the administration of deposed President Joseph Estrada –another actor and Poe’s best friend –fresh faces from the business got elected nevertheless. To wit: Bobby Yan is new San Juan councilor, and Lapid’s son Mark is the new Pampanga governor. And believe it or not, Barbara Milano’s cups runneth over when she was elected councilor of Talavera, Nueva Ecija.

New Twists, Few Surprises

In the last elections, there were however a few surprise wins and defeats.

In the Bicol Region, popular singer Imelda Papin lost in her bid for a congressional seat in Camarines Sur. Papin though has served as vice governor of the province.

On the other hand, while not an actor, former ABS-CBN news anchor Mon Ilagan was the surprise winner in the Cainta, Rizal mayoral race, trouncing the Felix political dynasty that had held sway for six decades.

Meanwhile, thanks to the popularity of actress Judy Ann Santos, Jamby Madrigal will be a senator in the 13th Congress, after failing miserably in the 2001 elections. With Judy Ann as endorser, Madrigal even landed in the top 10, and wags are saying that perhaps Judy Ann should be given a little seat beside Jamby’s in the august chamber.

But the strangest twist of all is the fate of disqualified presidential candidate Eddie Gil, who earned the nation’s attention for his pledge to pay the country’s national debt yet failed to settle his hotel bills in a campaign sortie in Cagayan de Oro City.

Declared a nuisance candidate or just plain nuisance, Gil was able to turn this into an opportunity to enter showbusiness since people were laughing at him anyway.

The wig-wearing Gil did spots in sitcoms and noontime shows and recorded his own single and even appeared as a magician, in the process proving that there is showbiz life after politics.

He found a means to reinvent himself even with a host of estafa cases hanging around his neck, treading the opposite path of those who found a life in politics after the kleig lights faded.