Celebrity Political Power in the Philippines

7/25/2019 Celebrity Political Power in the Philippines

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Celebrity Political Power in the Philippines

Politics is the practice of influencing other people and achieving positions of governance

over a community, particularly a state. It also encompasses the practice of distribution of

resources and power within a community as well as the interrelationships between communities.

The influence of politics is vital to the law and order of a community. It is very often said that

politics is about power (Painter & Jeffrey, !!"#. The importance of politics in modern day

society is undeniable and the influence of politics is prevalent in modern society. The influence

held by a politician in an office is enormous and his$her decisions can have a great impact on the

development of the state.

I. Philippine Politics and the %istory of Propaganda

s stated in rticle II, 'ection of the ")* Philippine Constitution, +The Philippines is

a democratic and republican 'tate. 'overeignty resides in the people and all government

authority emanates from them.iThis means that the Philippine government is a republic that

follows a presidential system wherein power is e-ually divided among its three branches the

e/ecutive, legislative, and 0udicial. In the Philippines, the powers of the President means having

the power over the e/ecutive branch, power in appointing officials of the government, veto

power on bills and power of supervision over local governments. Politicians holding office in the

legislative branch of the Philippines can affect the laws of the state and the Constitution of the

'tate itself.ii 1ilipino in a political office holds a great deal of responsibility and power over the

matters of the 'tate and its citi2ens. The wielding power of holding a political office in the

Philippines entices people to run for office. 3uring the !! Philippine Presidential elections, 4

senatorial candidates vied for the positions in the 'enate (+5ational Tally, n.d.# The sheer


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number of competition that a politician faces during election is staggering. 3ue to the

competition and their desire to ac-uire a political office, a vital part of a politician6s campaign

plan is to ma7e themselves 7nown by the public through propaganda.

Political propaganda has been present since the death of Julius Caesar on the Ides of

8arches in 99 :.C. 3uring the period after Caesar6s death, early political propaganda by

;ctavian, 'e/tus Pompery, egents6 Professor @meritus of Psychology and 8ar7eting at ri2ona 'tate

?niversity, propaganda is so influential because people e/ist in a rapidly moving and comple/

world. 1or people to deal with the pace of the world, they need shortcuts. People cannot be

e/pected to recogni2e and analy2e all aspects in each event, person, and situation we encounter

in one day. People do not have the time and energy or the capacity to process the informationA

and instead people rely on stereotypes, their own rules of thumb, to organi2e things into certain

few 7ey feautres and then respond without thin7ing when one or another of these 7ey features are

present. The use of propaganda in today6s society is e/tremely evident, especially during

campaign period where politicians use the power of propaganda to increase their chances of

being elected. 8odern propaganda utili2es all types of available media to spread its message,


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including press, radio, television, film, computers, fa/ machines, posters, meetings, doorBtoBdoor

canvassing, handbills, buttons, billboards, speeches, flags, street names, monuments, coins,

stamps, boo7s, plays, comic strips, poetry, music, sporting events, cultural events, company

reports, libraries, and awards and pri2es. 'ome types of media that were mentioned may be

surprising but that only shows how difficult it is in recogni2ing propaganda. Those who control

and have access to the media will have the power of potential control and shaping the public6s

opinion (:ruc7 & 8an2aria, n.d.#.

The importance of propaganda in influencing the public6s opinion and attitudes ma7es it a

vital tool for politicians who have hopes in winning political positions. In the Philippines, the

usage of propaganda during election period is very evident. ;n the campaign period, voters are

bombarded with television advertisements, print advertisements, flyers and radio advertisements

by politicians running for office. Throughout the !! Philippine Presidential elections, the net

total spending on televisions, radio, print ads by partyBlist groups and national candidates alone

amounted to Php 9.= billion (>eyes, !!#. The total net spending of the political candidates

during the !! Philippine Presidential elections shows the reliance of the politicians to mass

media. The spending of the politicians in the mass media also reflects the role of mass media as a

primary tool of politicians6 campaign strategy.

II. Impact of 8ass 8edia and 8ass 8edia in the Philippine 'ociety

3uring the twentieth century, the term mass media was coined to describe a what was then a

new social phenomenon and a 7ey characteristic of the emerging modern world that was being

increasingly built on the foundations of popular democracy and foundations of industrialism. The

mass media refer to the organi2ed means of communication, at a distance, to many people in a

short period of time. @arly types of mass media (newspapers, maga2ines, radio, cinema and


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phonogram# evolved and developed rapidly to reach formats that are recogni2able today, with

changes in scale and diversification and the addition of the television in the midBtwentieth

century. The 7ey features of mass media and communication that were around seventy or more

years ago are still in our minds the universal fascination they holdA their capacity to reach an

e/tremely large amount of people in a short period of time and with the same informationA their

stimulation of hopes and fearsA the assumption that mass media has great impact and influenceA

and the presumed relation to sources of power in society. There are many and outgoing changes

to the available media and in some aspects of their form and content. 8ass communication has

evolved and is no longer described as the only means of accessing an entire population. 5ew

technologies have been developed and ta7en up constitute an alternative potential networ7 of

communication. 8ass communication, as a largeBscale, oneBway flow of public content, remains

unchanged, but it is no longer carried out by DtraditionalD mass media. The emergence of new

media (Internet and mobile technology# and new types of content and flow supplements the

DtraditionalD mass media. The difference between the DtraditionalD and new media is mainly on the

latter as being more e/tensive, less structures, often interactive and as well as private and

individuali2ed. %owever, even if there are changes under way in mass media, there is still no

doubt that mass media in the current society holds a significance in the field of culture, everyday

social life, economics and politics. ('hinde & Eadav, !9#

In the area of politics, mass media provide an arena for politicians to debate and a set of

channels for ma7ing policies, candidates, ideas, and important facts to be more widely 7nown as

well as providing politicians, agents of the government and interest groups with a means of

publicity and influence. @veryday social life is strongly influenced by the routines of mass media

and infused by its contents through the way leisure time is spent, topics of conversation, modern


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behavior and lifestyle influences (8cFuail, !!#. 8ass media can paint a picture of who are the

powerful and powerless inside the society that people live in. s a cultural pedagogy tool, mass

media can contribute in educating the public, through languages, and myths but mass media do

not 0ust inform, persuade, or entertain the public, it can also be used by ideologies that seep and

may falsify reality and blur truth in favor of the ruling class or by those who control mass media.

('hinde & Eadav, !9#

The influence of mass media is evident in the current Philippine society. ;ne of e/ample of a

mass media is the television. The importance of televisions in the Philippines is shown by studies

conducted by the sia >esearch ;rgani2ation and the G: 5ielsen 8edia >esearch Philippines.

The study by the sia >esearch ;rgani2ation showed that television has a "H reach among

1ilipino households. The study by the G: 5ielsen 8edia >esearch Philippines showed that

"4 of homes in 8etro 8anila have been penetrated by television. The impact of television in

the Philippines is so great that the Philippines is second only to Japan in having the highest level

of television viewing with about !! minutes a day spent in watching. (Centeno, !# There

have been instances of national trends in the Philippines that were driven by television

commercials. These national trends that were based on television advertisements are a reflection

of the power of mass media in the Philippines. n e/ample of a national trend that was based on

a television commercial is the +1inally riel video, which garnered more than one million

views on EouTube and had people posting videos while imitating the commercial.iii

Celebrities play a ma0or role in television they usually appear in tal7 shows, variety shows,

and television soap operas. (Centeno, !# :ut celebrities do not only appear in variety shows,

tal7 shows and soap operas, they have become one of the primary tools that are used for

attribution or to give meaning to the one being endorsed. The infusion of celebrities has been an


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obvious phenomenon in television in which the everyday audience e/periences. Current day

celebrities usually come from the sports and entertainment industries and they are very visible

through media. The private lives of celebrities attract greater public influence that their

professional lives. The interest of the 1ilipino public of celebrities can be seen in social media.

Table shows the number of people following three celebrities in the Philippines on three

different social media websites. These three celebrities are ice Ganda, nne CurtisB'mith, and

ngel


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success in terms of ac-uiring a position to having the control of guns, gold, and glory, in

contemporary society another DgD have been added B glitter. This refers to the prominence and

popularity of a political figure that receive endorsements by celebrities. Kith the combined

campaigns on media, celebrities add glitter to the character that politicians construct through

media platforms. The role of the celebrity plays across many aspects of the cultural landscape

and has e/panded and multiplied in recent years. The number of advertisements that feature

celebrities as spo7espersons would attest to that. The influence of celebrities to the 1ilipino

public is even more noticeable in political communication during campaign periods. s stated in

a 'ocial Keather 'tation ('K'# press release two months before the 8ay !!* elections,

receptivity to political ads definitely mattersL it matters differently to different senatorial

candidates. The interaction of the celebrities to their audience is a factor that affects the votersD

perception and actions. (Centeno, !# There had been instances in the Philippines where

politicians won a political office because of the help and endorsement of a celebrity. The former

3epartment of Trade and Industry 'ecretary 8ar >o/as was elected as a senator when he was

romantically involved with Morana 'anche2. 1ormer president Gloria rroyo also used the

influence of celebrities as she was endorsed by popular tal7 show host :oy bunda for the !!9

presidential elections. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism claims that the most

popular instances on which the influence of celebrities had a ma0or impact on the campaign of

politicians, was of the then un7nown candidate 8aria Consuelo Jamby 8adrigal. The

Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism asserts that Jamby 8adrigal overwhelmingly

won because of the endorsement of actress Judy nn 'antos who 0oined her campaign rallies and

endorsed her to the public. It is an established fact in the Philippine political arena that as a

candidate is e/posed to media, the higher his$her chances of winning during the election will be.


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It is also believed that if a particular candidate can penetrate deep into a Philippine household

then he$she already won half of the battle. The group of na 8aria Tabunda, chief research of

Pulse sia, conducted a study that aims to understand the impact of political ads in the !!9 and

!!* elections. The results of their study show that voters felt the need for campaign ads. ds

serve as primary source of information for first time voters while ads served as tools to determine

the sincerity of the candidates for the veteran voters. The factor of recall for a politician is

important. If a voter does not remember the name of a candidate or is unaware of the running of

a candidate, then a good platform and program is put to waste. (Centeno, !#

The use of celebrities by the politicians as a tool of advertisement, endorsement and as a way

to affect the opinion of the public is highlighted on Table .


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http$$www.absBcbnnews.com$nation$!$$=$sonnyBangaraBtapsBcocoBmartinBpolBads

http$$pci0.org$stories$!!9$media.html

http$$thepoc.net$inde/.php$celebrityBendorsementBofBcandidatesBbringBmi/edBresults$

http$$www.gmanetwor7.com$news$story$))=4$lifestyle$design$celebritiesBbringBonBtheBcampaignBglitter

Table shows nine politicians and their celebrity endorsers during campaign period. :enigno

-uino III who had nine celebrity endorsers was elected as the President of the Philippines

during the !! presidential elections. Grace Poe, 'onny ngara were elected as senators during

!= Philippine 'enate election. The table shows the heavy reliance and use of celebrities by

1ilipino politicians during campaign period.

Celebrities are not only used as tools for political campaign because some of the celebrities

themselves have run for office. ma0or route to a political office is by being a celebrity.

Celebrities have gained powerful political offices throughout Philippine history. @/amples of

celebrities who have gained powerful political offices are former actor and President Joseph

@strada, action stars 'enators 8anuel amon >evilla Jr., former actor Congressman


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Table 9

'ource

http$$lists.famousfi/.com$ctnN9!")=!$filipinoBactorBpoliticians


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Table 9 shows that out of 9= celebrities who have run for office only seven lost. The appeal and

influence of 1ilipino celebrities to the 1ilipino public not only e/ist in the entertainment industry

but e/tends to Philippine politics.

I. Celebrities as Politicians

s Table 9 presented, there have been numerous occasions on which celebrities were elected

as government officials. Celebrities in the Philippines are influential in contemporary society in

the political conte/t. The influence of celebrities in politics and to the public reflects in their

occupied political positions. Political positions that have been occupied by the 1ilipino

celebrities range from a city councilor to the President of the Philippines.

government official in the Philippines holds e/treme power and influence to the

country6s future. s government officials, celebrities have made a significant influence on the

future of the Philippines. n e/cellent e/ample of an influential celebrityBpolitician is former

President Joseph @strada. 3uring the administration of President Joseph @strada, the rising

economic conditions of the Philippines slowed. The @strada dministration was full of

controversiesA his administration was accused of cronyism, incompetence and corruption

(+;verview of the @conomy, n.d.#. The governance of the @strada administration too7 a heavy

toll on the economy unemployment rose, currency fell and budget deficit grew. The @strada

dministration waged an allBout war against the 8uslim separatists in 8indanao. 1ormer

President Joseph @strada was charged with graft and corruption in the form of receiving millions

of dollar in illegal gambling payoffs. Joseph @strada was the first President in the Philippines

that was impeached (+Philippine %istory, n.d.#.


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nother e/ample of a celebrity politician is incumbent Congressman 8anny Pac-uiao.

Congressman 8anny Pac-uiao was met with criticism on his performance in the Congress. fter

nearly si/ years in office, Pac-uiao has yet to pass a single bill in through the committee. The

attendance of Pac-uiao in the Congress was also met with criticism since he only attendance four

session days in the Congress. %is absence in the Congress was due to his bo/ing training.

Pac-uiao helps and gives financial aid to his constituents in 'arangani (Teves, !H#


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1ilipino politicians6 campaign. The usage of celebrities as tools for campaign by politicians is

0ust one of their impact and roles in Philippine politics.

There have been cases in the Philippines that the celebrities themselves ran for office and

won. The combination of their appeal to the public, constant e/posure to mass media, and the

media culture in the Philippines attribute to their successful political campaigns. s politicians

and government officials, celebrities have made a significant impact in shaping the government,

future and society of the Philippines. Celebrities hold a si2able power in deciding the nation6s

future. The power and influence of celebrities in the political arena is a force to be rec7oned

with.


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i http://www.gov.ph/about/gov

ii http://www.gov.ph/about/gov/the-legislative-branch/ http://www.gov.ph/about/gov/exec/

iii Finally Ariel retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watchv!d"#$"mAyo%s

>eferences

Centeno, 3. (!#, Celebrification mythologies class and gender reading of celebrity endorsers in

political campaign advertisements

8an2aria, J. & :ruc7, J. (n.d.#, 8ediaDs ?se of Propaganda to Persuade PeopleDs ttitude, :eliefs and

:ehaviors

8cFuail, 3enis, (!!#, 8cFuail6s 8ass Communication Theory Hth@dition

8ontenegro, (n.d.#, +P%< Internet ?sers now =) million, !9 retrieved from

http$$www.gmanetwor7.co m$news$story$=)!)"=$scitech$technology$phlBinternetBusersBnowB=)B

millionBtwoBthirdsBunderB=!Bimmap

5ational Tally, (n.d#, >etrieved from http$$www.gmanetwor7.com$news$ele7syon!!$nationalcount

;verview of the @conomy, (n.d.#,>etrieved from

http$$www.nationsencyclopedia.com$economies$siaBandBtheBPacific$PhilippinesB;@>I@KB;1B

@C;5;8E.html

Painter, Joe & Jeffrey, le/, (!!"#, Political Geography, nd@dition

Pertierra, >aul, (!#, The 5ew 8edia, 'ociety & Politics in the Philippines

Philippine history, (n.d.#,>etrieved from

http$$www.philippinecountry.com$philippineNhistory$estradaNadmin.html

>eyes, Che de los, (!!#, +5at6l bets splurge P9.=:, local bets P48 on ads

+'enator 8anuel


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'cott, Menneth ("==#, Political Propaganda of 99B=! :.C

'hinde, 3r.3eepa7 8. & Eadav, 3r.Mailash :hanudas, (!9#, 8ass 8edia %elps 8ulticulturalism

Teves, (!H#, s Philippine congressman, Pac-uiao seen as underachieving

Thompson, 8ar7 (!!#, Populism and the >evival of >eform Competing Political 5arratives in the

Philippines

Celebrity Political Power in the Philippines

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