By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

THIS is election year in the Philippines, marking the celebration of the showbiz industry. Or is it a showbiz year, marking the celebration of politics? Ah, it doesn’t matter. They have the same concept.
Watching local TV shows back home — after being gone for many years — made me realize how the Philippine politics has fully transformed from the Marcos-era plutocracy to showbizcracy.
In the past, news about an actor’s political plans could be classified as a joke. The Filipino intellectuals and traditional politicians scoffed at the thought. But voting for actors into public offices has become the Filipino masses’ revenge against the elitism that for decades alienated them from the political process. Suddenly, the entertainers have invaded the political landscape, totally erasing the lines between politics and the movie world. The snotty political journalists end up covering events alongside the entertainment reporters, who now share a spot on the front pages of the newspapers.
In the past, candidates for public offices flashed their political achievements. Now, all you need is a list of blockbuster hits. Consider the deposed president, Joseph Estrada, a matinee idol who nurtured a cinematic image of the lone hero battling the corrupt oppressors of the poor until he was overthrown in a church-supported “revolution” in 2001. But that’s another story — and one that is not consistent with the movie scripts written for him.
Movie celebrities take themselves so seriously that they confuse their role with running the world. As for the traditional politicians, there’s less confusion there. They’ve always been known to be our entertainers except that this time, they have become full-fledged clowns. Their desire to connect with the voters has made them adopt the showbiz strategies and skills of popular culture to present themselves more effectively. Candidates don’t need spin doctors anymore. All they have to do is sing, dance, take cameo roles in sitcoms, eat fire and make fools of themselves. But competing with glamorous movie stars is a big challenge for traditional politicians because they are ugly.
It helps, too, if one is married to a movie star. Sen. Francis Pangilinan topped previous senatorial elections, courtesy of his megastar-wife Sharon Cuneta. Sen. Ralph Recto is the son of former Sen. Claro M. Recto, but his political success was attributed to his marriage to actress-politician Vilma Santos (a.k.a. “The Star for All Season), the mayor of Lipa City and is now aiming for the higher post as governor of the province of Batangas.
The new political dynasties are being built, not by the prototype politicians that pushed their own wife, daughter, son or even in-law to continue their political legacy, but by entertainers who suddenly found some kind of epiphany about serving the public.
The current composition of the Philippine Senate has a fair share of the local entertainment industry’s big shots from two generations of action stars: Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. is the son of amulet-wielding former senator/action star Ramon Revilla Sr. and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is the son of the deposed actor-president Erap Estrada. Sen. Lito Lapid is another action star and Sen. Tito Sotto is a former comedian.
Now hoping to find themselves in the Senate hall are matinee idols Richard Gomez and Cesar Montano.
They may be clueless but the advantage of being a movie star is that he or she can stand as an outsider and say: “This is how politics ought to be.”
Movie celebrities may or may not make any difference. There will always be empty stomachs, but at least there will be plenty of shows to watch. Here’s a political system that involves entertainment of the people, by the people, for the people. (Send feedback to marvic@mvguam.com)