THE election fever is not yet over. From being campaign strategists and propagandists for months, we have become political analysts. This is not at all wrong because there are indeed diverse perspectives that explain this social phenomenon in a democracy like ours. And there is a platform that communicates these analyses which clusters, validates and countervalidates perspectives and insights — leading to a rich exchange and a colorful kaleidoscope of what reality could be and created to be. In the end, this collective experience of our democratic processes may enrich our young nation, relative to other countries’ foundations. And without a doubt, we are learning, maybe slowly but surely.
On showbiz and politics
When many celebrities lost their luster under the spotlight of the public stage, whose audience doubted that entertainment and popularity is at all indicative of quality public service, we leveled up our discourse. Even some of the biggest celebrity endorsers, who were paid exorbitant fees, failed to sway their fans to vote for those they endorsed. The so-loved and unkabogable star in Vice Ganda was not enough to pull Benhur Abalos to victory. This is not unique in politics as even the corporate world is recognizing the user-driven testimonies as more powerful than these celebrity influencers. The neighbors of someone who benefited from the Malasakit Center, branded with Sen. Bong Go, propelled them to vote for those whom they have benefited at personal level. The help of the Tulfos to those who have less in life, with whom the audience empathized, ensured the Tulfo victory.
Lito Lapid was endorsed by Coco Martin, but his win may owe more to his personal brand as a two-term senator and three-term governor, aside from the Supremo that he is in the phenomenal teleserye “Ang Probinsyano.” But the Probinsyano party-list, endorsed by Piolo Pascual, ranked only 57th. Tito Sotto, who made it to the winning list, is not the usual showbiz personality, who is even branded as Tito Sen.
With nothing against showbiz personalities, the result of elections 2025 was not favorable for a long list of celebrities like Bong Revilla, Willie Revillame, Phillip Salvador, Jimmy Bondoc, Luis Manzano, Monsour del Rosario, Yul Servo, Ejay Falcon, Marco Gumabao, Mocha Uson, Marjorie Baretto, Dennis Padilla, Aljur Abrenica, Victor Neri, Enzo Padilla, Ara Mina, Raymond Bagatsing, Angelica de la Cruz, Zanjoe Marudo, Dan Fernandez, Emilio Garcia, Bayani Agbayani, Wilbert Tolentino, Jeremy Marquez, Jomari Yllana, Bobet Vidanes, among others. Observers are saying that this is the longest list of showbiz election losers. They will continue to be loved as stars but were not successful to gain the votes of the electorate.
Dynasties that fell
When many dynasties of well-oiled political and financial machineries fell painfully, we give hope to aspiring public servants with potential to challenge and change the long-standing status quo. When political brands hardly picked up the momentum they had in the past, we wonder why. There seems to be a paranoia among the electorate that when relatives run together, there is some bad recipe cooking, and they avoid it. The loss of Luis Manzano, in spite of the victory of Gov. Vilma Santos; in the same way Oriental Mindoro Gov. Bonz Dolor was overwhelmingly reelected but failed to pull a brother running for vice governor; these are just some of the stories that proved this. The senator Cynthia Villar, Cebu governor Gwen Garcia, congressman Joey Salceda, the Jalosjos of Zamboanga del Norte, among others losing, came as a surprise.
The party-list system
When party-lists have become less sectoral and become more territorial, that even the former stalwarts have missed the seats, the call to revisit is becoming louder, and the appeal to review its essence becomes more pressing. When the marginalized sectors fail to resonate the need for them, as they are drowned by the long list of irrelevant and unscrupulous representation of just anything nonsensical, what is the value of these honorable representations in the halls of Congress?
The sectors of Kabataan, teachers (through Alliance of Concerned Teachers), and other Makabayan groups, like Bayan Muna, did not make it. Meaningful party-lists in the past like Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), Bagong Henerasyon (BH), and others, did not make it, too. Highly representative of sectors like EduAKsyon (represented by Michael Ang), HEAL Ph (represented by Dr. Eric Tayag) and Health Worker party-list (represented by midwife Robert Mendoza) group did not make it. Happily, those who are just hyping and bastardizing the party-list system did not make it.
The overwhelming votes for Akbayan party-list can be attributed to the Chel Diokno branding as a senatorial hopeful who failed twice, similar to Leila de Lima’s Mamamayang Liberal. Duterte Youth had the grasp of the Duterte supporters, Tingog, the Speaker Martin Romualdez’s Leyte hold; 4Ps party-list resonates with what ayuda is all about; ACT-CIS has the Tulfo branding in it; as Ako Bicol, Uswag Ilonggo and Solid North party-list are territorial powerhouses.
The party-list system, indeed, has to be overhauled for greater value of our democratic system, and for the very essence for which it was created.
Political endorsement Political polarization is real. Political endorsement may win some, as it may also lose some. But if strong enough, nationally and locally, it creates a traction that can spell victory or defeat. As politics is a numbers game, the loss may come from losing camps and clusters. While authenticity is critical, the large selection of decisive candidates may provide alternatives. Heidi Mendoza lost the LGBT because of her stand on same-sex marriage but gained the respect of those who admired her conviction. The endorsement of former vice president Leni Robredo was not enough to lead to the victory of Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and the immediate past local government secretary of Benhur Abalos. But it makes everyone wonder, what if VP Leni had officially endorsed Heidi Mendoza, who garnered above 8 million votes?
The last-minute endorsement of VP Sara for senatoriables Camille Villar and Sen. Imee Marcos may have saved them their winning slots in the tail end of the list.
Surveys and the crystal ball And when even the survey firms, which have been institutionalized for many years, are losing their scientific stance on results that could not be statistically explained, we are looking at a different dynamic that political strategies can only fathom, after the fact. What used to work strategically and tactically does not guarantee anything, anymore. The psychographics and the demographics have changed and need to be understood using a different lens. They were also surprised by the surge in the ranks of Bam Aquino, Francis Pangilinan and Rodante Marcoleta.
The proof of learning is change. These changes we observed, documented and created are all part of the learning process we have engaged ourselves into as Filipinos and collectively as a nation.
-END-
SOURCE: The Manila Times
On showbiz and politics
When many celebrities lost their luster under the spotlight of the public stage, whose audience doubted that entertainment and popularity is at all indicative of quality public service, we leveled up our discourse. Even some of the biggest celebrity endorsers, who were paid exorbitant fees, failed to sway their fans to vote for those they endorsed. The so-loved and unkabogable star in Vice Ganda was not enough to pull Benhur Abalos to victory. This is not unique in politics as even the corporate world is recognizing the user-driven testimonies as more powerful than these celebrity influencers. The neighbors of someone who benefited from the Malasakit Center, branded with Sen. Bong Go, propelled them to vote for those whom they have benefited at personal level. The help of the Tulfos to those who have less in life, with whom the audience empathized, ensured the Tulfo victory.
Lito Lapid was endorsed by Coco Martin, but his win may owe more to his personal brand as a two-term senator and three-term governor, aside from the Supremo that he is in the phenomenal teleserye “Ang Probinsyano.” But the Probinsyano party-list, endorsed by Piolo Pascual, ranked only 57th. Tito Sotto, who made it to the winning list, is not the usual showbiz personality, who is even branded as Tito Sen.
With nothing against showbiz personalities, the result of elections 2025 was not favorable for a long list of celebrities like Bong Revilla, Willie Revillame, Phillip Salvador, Jimmy Bondoc, Luis Manzano, Monsour del Rosario, Yul Servo, Ejay Falcon, Marco Gumabao, Mocha Uson, Marjorie Baretto, Dennis Padilla, Aljur Abrenica, Victor Neri, Enzo Padilla, Ara Mina, Raymond Bagatsing, Angelica de la Cruz, Zanjoe Marudo, Dan Fernandez, Emilio Garcia, Bayani Agbayani, Wilbert Tolentino, Jeremy Marquez, Jomari Yllana, Bobet Vidanes, among others. Observers are saying that this is the longest list of showbiz election losers. They will continue to be loved as stars but were not successful to gain the votes of the electorate.
Dynasties that fell
When many dynasties of well-oiled political and financial machineries fell painfully, we give hope to aspiring public servants with potential to challenge and change the long-standing status quo. When political brands hardly picked up the momentum they had in the past, we wonder why. There seems to be a paranoia among the electorate that when relatives run together, there is some bad recipe cooking, and they avoid it. The loss of Luis Manzano, in spite of the victory of Gov. Vilma Santos; in the same way Oriental Mindoro Gov. Bonz Dolor was overwhelmingly reelected but failed to pull a brother running for vice governor; these are just some of the stories that proved this. The senator Cynthia Villar, Cebu governor Gwen Garcia, congressman Joey Salceda, the Jalosjos of Zamboanga del Norte, among others losing, came as a surprise.
The party-list system
When party-lists have become less sectoral and become more territorial, that even the former stalwarts have missed the seats, the call to revisit is becoming louder, and the appeal to review its essence becomes more pressing. When the marginalized sectors fail to resonate the need for them, as they are drowned by the long list of irrelevant and unscrupulous representation of just anything nonsensical, what is the value of these honorable representations in the halls of Congress?
The sectors of Kabataan, teachers (through Alliance of Concerned Teachers), and other Makabayan groups, like Bayan Muna, did not make it. Meaningful party-lists in the past like Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), Bagong Henerasyon (BH), and others, did not make it, too. Highly representative of sectors like EduAKsyon (represented by Michael Ang), HEAL Ph (represented by Dr. Eric Tayag) and Health Worker party-list (represented by midwife Robert Mendoza) group did not make it. Happily, those who are just hyping and bastardizing the party-list system did not make it.
The overwhelming votes for Akbayan party-list can be attributed to the Chel Diokno branding as a senatorial hopeful who failed twice, similar to Leila de Lima’s Mamamayang Liberal. Duterte Youth had the grasp of the Duterte supporters, Tingog, the Speaker Martin Romualdez’s Leyte hold; 4Ps party-list resonates with what ayuda is all about; ACT-CIS has the Tulfo branding in it; as Ako Bicol, Uswag Ilonggo and Solid North party-list are territorial powerhouses.
The party-list system, indeed, has to be overhauled for greater value of our democratic system, and for the very essence for which it was created.
Political endorsement Political polarization is real. Political endorsement may win some, as it may also lose some. But if strong enough, nationally and locally, it creates a traction that can spell victory or defeat. As politics is a numbers game, the loss may come from losing camps and clusters. While authenticity is critical, the large selection of decisive candidates may provide alternatives. Heidi Mendoza lost the LGBT because of her stand on same-sex marriage but gained the respect of those who admired her conviction. The endorsement of former vice president Leni Robredo was not enough to lead to the victory of Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and the immediate past local government secretary of Benhur Abalos. But it makes everyone wonder, what if VP Leni had officially endorsed Heidi Mendoza, who garnered above 8 million votes?
The last-minute endorsement of VP Sara for senatoriables Camille Villar and Sen. Imee Marcos may have saved them their winning slots in the tail end of the list.
Surveys and the crystal ball And when even the survey firms, which have been institutionalized for many years, are losing their scientific stance on results that could not be statistically explained, we are looking at a different dynamic that political strategies can only fathom, after the fact. What used to work strategically and tactically does not guarantee anything, anymore. The psychographics and the demographics have changed and need to be understood using a different lens. They were also surprised by the surge in the ranks of Bam Aquino, Francis Pangilinan and Rodante Marcoleta.
The proof of learning is change. These changes we observed, documented and created are all part of the learning process we have engaged ourselves into as Filipinos and collectively as a nation.
-END-
SOURCE: The Manila Times