What’s wrong with celebs running for public office?

I am disappointed with former Senator Franklin Drilon discrediting movie, television, theater and multimedia celebrities in politics or running in public office.

I thought Drilon is a well-rounded person and an independent-minded politician.

To begin with, he is a lawyer and a legal luminary who supposedly understands governance but there’s more to government and public service than meets the eye.

The ex-legislator said that most actors who are in power aren’t graduates of law if not dropouts or completely non-grads from college.

Or better still, unarmed with the right articulation when it comes to lawmaking or statesmanship.

Knowledgeability in laws and jurisprudence is indeed a requirement to a better management and administration of a society.

Because the basic role of a senator or a congressman, for instance, is legislation.

Robin as Criminology grad

But more than that, the betterment of men and society through the implementation of the laws is one purpose of the Senate.

Without mentioning their names, though, Drilon might be referring to Senators Robinhood Padilla or Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr.

Robin might not be schooled consistently (because he transferred from one school to another in various locations) but according to Wikipedia, he finished Bachelor of Science in Criminology while Bong took up his high school education in Los Angeles, California.

Lapid, no college diploma

Lito Lapid might not even have a college diploma but he was able to gather votes from the electorate.

Jinggoy Estrada graduated from a law school and Grace Poe has graduate education to bank on.

In all honesty and objectivity, education in any of its higher forms like post-graduate or any specialized courses as medicine or law or ecclesiastical studies as theology doesn’t make a senator unworthy of the post or a senatorial candidate disqualified from running in an election.

Basically, according to the Philippine Constitution, any Filipino, who is a natural born citizen of the Philippines, thirty-five (35) years old on the day of the election, a qualified and registered voter, can read and write and resident of the Philippines for two (2) years preceding the election can run for a Senate seat.

Serve the people

Generally, these requirements are applicable to all political posts, regardless of the status of a celebrity.

Anyone who has intentions and pursuits to serve the people can run and maintain a public service.

In this case, show people can definitely desire to serve their people in various positions—from President to Vice-President to representatives in both Upper and Lower Houses to party-list reps (through lawmaking) to governor to vice-governor to provincial board members to mayor to vice mayor to councilors (making resolutions) and to barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan hierarchy.

In the Philippines, it’s free for all political aspirations.

The field of politics, therefore, is open to multimedia artists accordingly.

We see action star Phillip Salvador, comedian and TV emcee Willie Revillame, musician Tito Sotto, actor-boxer Manny Pacquiao, TV hosts Erwin and Ben Tulfo. band member Mark Gamboa are gunning for the Senate.

No more nomination, just supporter of party-list

Even if Nora Aunor has backed out as nominee of the People’s Champ Guardians party-list and chose just to support Kabayan party-list, she is still navigating in the political realm.

Vilma Santos is eyeing again the gubernatorial post of Batangas Province with her son Luis Manzano as vice-governor.

Vico Sotto is a Pasig City mayoral re-electionist while Ara Mina runs for the city council as well as Angelu de Lein.

Zanjoe Marudo is ASAP party-list nominee.

The list goes on.

It’s imperative to remind us all that it’s not only in this century that showbiz people enter the political and government arena.

Bonifacio as first showbiz political candidate

During the formation of the first Philippine republic in 1897, stage actor Andres Bonifacio ran for the presidency against Emilio Aguinaldo of the Katipunan, the revolutionary movement like an agency that ran the Philippine governing leadership.

During the American period, film pioneer and the so-called Second Father of Philippine Movies Vicente Salumbides was voted as one of the 1935 Constitutional Convention delegates of the Commonwealth government.

In 1941, Salumbides was mayor of Lopez, Quezon.

In the 1960s, movie king Rogelio de la Rosa ran and won a Senate seat.

In the 1970s, Eddie Ilarde became senator.

What is else is new?

So, what else is new about showbiz people getting into politics?

Bonifacio wasn’t a lawyer but he was a voracious reader of history and politics while Salumbides was a legal eagle.

De la Rosa was just an actor.

From the time that Ka Andres was murdered to the bickering between the Marcoses and the Duetretes because of ambitions, power hunger and intrigues for personal gains, nothing has changed in the Philippine political landscape.

What is more important now, is a pro-people, sincere liberation and genuine compassion for the masses from ignorance and poverty, not temporary solutions to problems like “ayuda,” by public servants, lawyers or not.