Why politicians hire entertainers, showbiz celebrities as endorsers

ANALYSIS
by Alex P. Vidal

VANCOUVER – Presidential candidates would not mind shelling out 20 million Philippine pesos for the hottest entertainment or showbiz personality who is willing to endorse them and join in their campaign sorties.

The whopping amount is worth the investment if the entertainer or celebrity will be able to electrify the crowd and transform their curiosity and madness into actual votes during the elections.

The use of celebrity as endorsers during the campaign period has been proven to have contributed in winning percentage of certain candidates as fans who are also voters think they were voting for the celebrity when they cast their votes.

This phenomenon, however, conked out when Nacionalista Party standard bearer Manny Villar finished third in the recent presidential race behind two superbly popular rivals—Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino and actor-turn-politician Joseph Ejercito “Erap” Estrada.

Villar had three heavyweight celebrities in the team: comedy king Dolphy, world boxing king Manny Pacquiao, and young international diva Sarah Geronimo.

Perennial loser Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal had to hire the services of television soap opera queen Judy Ann Santos in the 2004 senatorial race to wind up in the top 10 among the 12 winners.

NO CELEBRITY

Without the young actress’ endorsement, political observes said Madrigal would not have made it even in the top 20. In the presidential race, Madrigal finished by the way side without any celebrity backing her.
The relationship between Madrigal and Santos, however, turned ugly as they exchanged diatribes when Madrigal assailed the use of celebrities as political endorsers.

“The use of actors—you had to pay P30 million to endorse you—is an insult to the Filipino intelligence. I have seen the folly of my ways… I will not repeat it because I do not believe you repeat a mistake. But I also don’t believe you should perpetuate lies that are perpetuated by a big budget,” Madrigal said, referring to her fellow senator and fellow losing presidential bet Manny Villar.

“I was deeply hurt. Kasi all this time I thought she sincerely got my services because she believed in me. And I also, maybe one way or another, believed in her. That’s why I campaigned for her,” she retorted.
The electoral system in the Philippines has made it possible for entertainers and movie and television personalities to even dominate the polls as they have all the advantages and edge in name-recall.

MULTIPLE NAMES

In the recently held national synchronized election, for instance, a voter in the first automated poll had to select multiple names and check only his choices for municipal, provincial or city councilors, the vice mayor and mayor, the congressman, the 12 senators, the vice president and president to complete his vote.

A voter with no capacity to recall at least 29 names vying for different local and national positions will have to scramble over the list; and chances are he will remember only the names retained in his memory.

He will recall only those whom he regularly sees or hear in mass media. This explains why the likes of Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., Joselito “Lito” Lapid, and Jinggoy Estrada, all actions stars, topped the senatorial elections and will dominate any national elections at any given time.

Joseph Estrada badly mangled his vastly powerful rival, Jose De Venecia, in the 1998 presidential race because, aside from being a wide screen celebrity himself, he was also supported by his fellow showbiz characters. The result was a 10 million votes-margin massacre.

As Canadian educator Marshall McLuhan once said, “The medium is the message”.