We already know that celebrity status in this country is a passport to government office. We find entertainment and media personalities in just about every level of government. They are city and municipal councilors, provincial board members, vice mayors, mayors, governors, congressmen, senators and, yes, one got as far as the vice presidency.
While being a celebrity does not necessarily mean being too dumb to be anything else, we are also aware that there are celebrities who simply take advantage of their popularity to get elected even if they have no real qualifications to fulfill the duties of a public office. Some are not even aware of basic issues. Try this.
Would you vote for her? Would you vote for anyone like her?
I wouldn’t. Hell, I wouldn’t.
But one has to ask: If Bong Revilla could win a seat in the Senate, why couldn’t Ara Mina win a seat in the Quezon City Council?
Elections in this country are alternatively comic and tragic. Either way, I’m not entertained.
UPDATE on February 9, 2010 @ 12.20 a.m. with transcribed dialogue and English translation for those who don’t understand Filipino and Taglish.
My newspaper column today.
We need informed legislators
Actress Ara Mina (real name Hazel Klenk Reyes), daughter of former Quezon City councilor Chuck Mathay, has filed her certificate of candidacy for the Quezon City council (second district). She recently appeared in a television show called I.M.O. Hosted by Mo Twister. A portion of that interview has been making the rounds on the internet. Below is a partial transcript with translations enclosed in parentheses:
Mo Twister: “Now, Ara, let’s play something from the lightning round. All I’m gonna do is ask you if you’re for or against a certain topic…”
Ara Mina (laughing): “Okay…”
Mo Twister: “First, private armies…”
Ara Mina: “Ano’ng sasabihin ko (What will I say)?”
Mo Twister: “For or against… do you like private armies, or…”
Ara Mina: “For.”
Mo Twister: “Do you wanna expound on that? That’s a very controversial answer… especially considering what happened in Maguindanao…”
Ara Mina: “You know, ano eh, that’s why I didn’t answer your question kung against ako or for sa Maguindanao kasi, lately, hindi ko nasusundan yung news about the… ah… especially about the Maguindanao thing. So it’s hard to comment lalo na if you don’t know the real story, di ba? (You know, that’s why I didn’t answer your question if I am against or for Maguindanao because, lately, I haven’t been following the news about the… ah… especially about the Maguindanao thing. So it’s hard to comment especially if you don’t know the real story, right?)”
Mo Twister plays a patched in phone comment from a viewer who expresses her disappointment that someone whom she thought was an intelligent actress had not been following the Maguindanao issue which had been on the news for a month.
Mo Twister: “… If you have not been following the Maguinadao issue which, again, has been everyday on the news and you are running for politics, that could be disheartening for a lot of people…”
Ara Mina: “It’s everyday nga eh, kung baga eh, more than a month nang nasa news ‘yan. Ahmmm, I’ll be honest, every time I watch the news, medyo, nakaka-depress eh. Pag nanonood ka, patayan dyan, patayan dito (Yes, it’s everyday, like, it’s been on the news for more than a month. Ahmmm, I’ll be honest, every time I watch the news, I get depressed. When you watch, it’s killing here, killing there)… Of course, I want to know what’s happening in our country, but napanood ko na yung ilang news, parang sobrang nade-depress ako… ”
Mo Twister (interrupting): “Yah, but the thing about that, Ara, is that you are running for… public office, and in public office especially in a country like ours that struggles, it’s very depressing situations… in your city… and you have to be able to strengthen yourself…”
Ara Mina (interrupting): “Hindi, eh, kasi I always go out at hindi ko afford lagi manood ng news so sometimes, I receives news… sa text… sometimes, nakakabasa ako ng diyaryo. So, hindi ko talaga… pero, alam ko yung nangyari, hindi ko lang alam yung sobrang details… kasi, mayroon din akong inaaasikaso sa district ko (No, see, because I always go out and I can’t afford to watch the news all the time so sometimes I receive news as text messages… sometimes, I am able to read the newspaper. So, I really don’t… but I know what happened, I just don’t know all the details because there are also things I am taking care of in my district)…”
I am tempted to end this column right here and just let you react to the exchange between television host and guest. But, to be fair to Ara Mina, I can appreciate her statement about feeling depressed every time she watches the news. I don’t think she’s alone in feeling that way, thanks to a sensational media with its penchant for choosing news items that are either too gory, too sad or too scandalous. When we watch the news on television, it often seems that the only light-hearted events are those related with trivia and entertainment.
But, to be fair to this country and its electorate, it takes more than a passing knowledge of news events to be able to become an INFORMED legislator. And this is true whether a candidate is running for the city or municipal council, the provincial board, the House of Representatives or the Senate. No one can author, sponsor, co-sponsor or support a bill unless one has dug deep into the subject that it covers.
The Maguindanao murders may have taken place in Mindanao but the existence of private armies is a nation-wide issue. Many, many, many politicians, in the rural areas as well as in urban centers, maintain private armies, whether in the form of special police assignments or hired goons.
So, a candidate for the Quezon City council cannot dismiss the Maguindanao murders as though it were totally irrelevant to political realities in Quezon City. If Ara Mina and all other candidates as uninformed and as unqualified as her, in the local and national levels, think that the important thing is to win first and do an on-the-job training later to become a responsibly informed public official, think again. Your intentions may be good but this country needs and deserves more. Taxpayers aren’t obliged to pay for your education. Educate yourselves first and when you are sufficiently informed and able, present yourselves again for the perusal of the electorate. That’s the mature way of doing things.
Hahaha! She twisted her answer when it came to VFA – so obvious she does not know what it stands for. Haaaay…
My. God. I'm speechless. Ive been told that I look like her and now I wanna have plastic surgery ASAP. This is just gross.
Suddenly remembered Alfred Vargas is running for public office in our district here in QC. AArrgh!
Heaven help us! The woman is dumb and dumber are those who will vote for her.
It's like there's an order to this, young star > drama star (you do a few movies) > become a sexy star once you get old enough (read: no longer popular with the young audience) > once you really become old you enter politics.
It's just but a reflection of how in an impoverished society, being a popular celebrity is not enough to guarantee a comfortable life, you have to move on into other fields that offer high yields.
Or, actually learn to act
The answer to the title (Would you vote for her?) of the article is easy (no). But here's the twist, would your answer be the same if the other party running against her is exactly like her? Lol! I mean, sports and showbiz celebs are everywhere during election time. Some are good and some are so, so. Some are promising and some just make promises. But these distinctions most of the time disappears because of the undue advantage they possess: popularity.
This video is also making its rounds in FB, so hopefully this will put a dent in her future, at least in politics. Gosh, didn't know she's suicidal! … I'm from QC, buti na lang 4th district, good luck sa nga 2nd district voters!
I did not finish watching the video anymore! Nakakainis lang! She doesn't know what she is talking about. Mas iboboto si Mo Twister kesa sa kanya. Mas may alam pa ang host sa mga issues… very embarrassing for a candidate seeking elective office.
Ara is definitely an idiot, but my question is: Who the frack voted for her in the first place?
As draconian as it sounds, I think that interview proves that we definitely need a mandatory IQ test for voters.
Anybody who fails to exhibit the equivalent intelligence of a lab rat, or answers on their questionnaire that they agree with Bong Revilla winning Best Actor during the MMFF, should be Sparta-kicked off a cliff.
My bad, it should be "Who the frack would vote for her?"
Tsk. Tsk. Gotta remember my tenses
Oh she'll be president alright.
…of dumbfuckistan
But one has to ask: If Bong Revilla could win a seat in the Senate, why couldn’t Ara Mina win a seat in the Quezon City Council?
and Lito Lapid. OMG! dumarami pang lalo ang lahi nila. Kawawa naman ang Pilipinas!
Belle, who is Alfred Vargas?
Jhay, between sexy star and politician, an actress plays kontrabida first. LOL
Jonas, that's why abstention and boycott are options.
Beatrize, that's where I got the link — from FB.
ms. connie,
alfred vargas is another young actor, good looks, hunky body, good acting skills din naman, but lately doesn't have any projects. hindi ganun ka-visible sa kapuso network nowadays.
ara mina, para sa katatawanan, i enjoyed watching the video, but definitely won't (ever) vote for her.
oh wait! i was unable to register pala!
have a great week ahead.
On another angle, Ara Mina should fire his political adviser, if she has any or get a new one if she still don't have. She walked in straight in the interview without knowing the questions that Mo will ask of her.
The interview was supposed to showcase her ability to govern and lead by showing her understanding and views of current events and other important issues. What happened was she ended up with the icing on her face, so to speak.
I believe the phrase you're looking for is "Egg on her face"
Thanks.
the voting public are now a bit wiser. being actors/actresses is not a passport to public office anymore. popularity + intelligence/wisdom. those are the basic keys.
Really… LOL
Even the simplistic formula of having a celebrity running mate is an effective passport to public office. And the millions spent on celebrity endorsements? Another variation. A lot of people are simply, well, simple. They believe celebrities because they are looked upon as larger than life.
In fact, you're doing a modified version of that formula in your own blog — mixing politics with celebrity news. At may make money online ka pa! Sheesh. Is that popularity + intelligence? LOL
thanks, connie for taking the time to scrutinize my blog.
being a celebrity gives you a plus factor in the elections. however, the people have began to think a bit more in the latter elections- thanks to Joseph Estrada.
particularly last 2007 elections, we've witnessed that many actors/actresses didn't make it to public office anymore (like richard gomez and cesar montano). the reason? the people think that even though they are popular, they are not qualified to run the government.
here's the acid test. if being a celebrity is a sure passport to win in the election, then let's wait for the may 2010 results and see if ara wins in quezon city.
again, thanks for visiting my blog.
"thanks, connie for taking the time to scrutinize my blog."
No problem, I always like to know the mindset of readers who like to try to "make an impression" in my comment threads.
Has nothing to do with people becoming more discerning. Rather it has more to do with the particular geographic territory that candidates have to deal with vis a vis the "market" of the candidate. Cesar Montano never had a mass following (like Bong Revilla and Lito Lapid) because he was more well-known for artsy movies (by Marilou Diaz Abaya). Get mo na kung bakit sya natalo? Richard Gomez, when he ran for the Senate — laos na. Kontrabida roles na lang nahahagip nya. Sa TV pa. LOL
The ones who lost in local elections were mostly running in districts with strong middle class populations (not enough poor to vote for them, in other words).
"if being a celebrity is a sure passport to win in the election, then let’s wait for the may 2010 results and see if ara wins in quezon city." That goes hand-in-hand with your sweeping generalization that the loss of some celebrities in 2007 was due to a more politicized electorate.
LOL poor thing, what in the world came to her mind of running for politics? She doesn't have a clue. I don't think this person ever read news, current events, or even just a sappy pocket book! Her vocabulary sucks! I just don't get it anymore. Kawawa naman ang Pilipinas.
…a big no…buti na lang i'm not from Q.C….parang gusto ko ng matunaw sa kinauupuan ko…lakas ng loob niya…
I also saw this posted in FB. If I hadn't read the note about the interview, I would have thought I was watching a comedy skit from Bubble Gang.
HAHAHAHAHA… well imagine ANGELICA JONES as BOARD MEMBER for Laguna, poor laguna… she's even worst than ARA MINA…