GROUP 2

TOPIC: FILING OF CANDIDACY FOR ELECTION 2025

Title: Filing of Candidacy 2024: Influence or Experience?

Filipinos should pick a leader who knows how to lead instead of a leader who knows nothing

but his words.

Even if there’s not much requirement when it comes to filing for Certificate of Candidacy

and running in the election, the filing of certificate for candidacy should be carefully

considered before it is done, especially for social influencers without experience in public

service or being a senator, councilor, or a congressman because the power their positions hold

can affect Filipinos in a lot of ways.

The election season for 2025 has now started, and as of October 2024 many famous

individuals have filed their certificate of candidacy. Some of the individuals who filed

already have experience when it comes to being a public servant and being in the field of

politics such as Politician Maria Imelda Romualdez Marcos, Senator Vicente III Castelo

Sotto, and Senator Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid.

While there are individuals who do not have the experience, credentials, and

knowledge about being a public servant, but have the good intentions of serving the Filipino

vendors, the Filipino Citizens, and more like Deo Balbuena, the owner of Diwata Pares

Overload the 4th nominee of the Vendors Partylist seeking for a congressional seat,

Rosemarie Peñamora Tan also known as Rosmar who’s aim is to be a Manila Councilor, and
the host of the variety show “Wil to Win”, Willie Revillame, who seeks the Senate seat,

which brought divided responses and reactions from many Filipino citizens.

Being in the congress or the senate court is no easy job, the responsibility to bear them is big.

And every decision made by those with power can affect the Filipino citizens in one way or

another, anyone may take a position in the congress or the senate court, but not everyone can

be capable of handling the responsibility of the powers given by their desired position.

Deo Balbuena, also known as the owner of Diwata Pares Overload, filed his

Certificate of Candidacy last October 2, 2024 with the other 3 nominees of the Vendors

Party-list at the Manila Hotel Tent City. Balbuena said that he would push for a streamlined

registration of permits for vendors if he gets a seat at the congressional. “Andito kami ngayon

para maging boses sa lahat ng mga vendors para mag tulong-tulong kami na maiangat ang

vendors sa Pilipinas” (Rocamora, 2024). An article written by Rocamora, 2024 stated

Balbuena said that the party-list would also establish a cooperative that specially caters to

small business owners like him. The article also said how Balbuena will divide his time

should he end up with a seat, Balbuena said “Siyempre mag po-focus tayo sa party-list pero

hindi naman puwedeng pabayaan ko rin ‘yong tindahan.”

Balbuena’s intentions may be beneficial for small Filipino vendors and business

owners, however in our perspective, his lack of experience, and knowledge in public service

or governance is a major factor on why he is incapable of handling the responsibility of

having a seat in the Congress. One may say that he may be capable of being a politician due

to his connection to the public as a famous pares joint owner and viral internet personality,
and he has experienced how tough it is to be a public vendor. But we believe that those are

not enough for him to fulfill the responsibilities of a Congressman.

In our paper, we strongly believe that an individual should possess knowledge,

experience, and enough credentials before filing a certificate of candidacy because Filipinos’

standards when it comes to picking their leaders should be high if they really want their lives

to be well supported by their leaders. However there are times where an individual may have

experience in serving the Filipinos, but when the time comes where they get a seat in the field

of politics, they fail to do their job properly.

A study from Atkeson and Hamel (2018) stated that “Voters from California appear to value

functional competence for office in and of itself, and use cues in the form of candidate

occupation to assess who is and who is not fit for the job.” A trait that Filipinos could adopt

as voters from California tend to have a higher standard for them to choose and determine

who is and who is not fit for the job.

An article by Borja (2015) stated that “It is time to recognize that our choice must not be tied

solely to an analysis of individual or party platforms but to civic virtues that we believe must

underlie and determine the behavior of all citizens in relation to our society.” Which supports

our belief when it comes to Filipinos voting standards based on the individual or political

party.

An article by Wong (2022) also stated that “This year’s election, set for 9 May, is another

personality-based popularity contest for the presidency. Except for Robredo and Senator

Panfilo Lacson, who are banking on their government experience, presidential candidates are
emphasizing their stardom and family connections to get elected – international boxing

legend Manny Pacquiao, former movie actor Isko Moreno, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son of

and namesake of the former dictator.” The same article also stated that “charisma and mass

appeal are the focus rather than policy platforms or track record. This is amply demonstrated

in most campaign events that sideline substantive debates in favor of entertainment shows.

“The people won’t listen if you debate an issue or present a platform,” remarked Senator

Ronald dela Rosa in 2019 about his campaign rallies. “If you have said several platforms,

they think this politician is just … full of words, but no action.”

Senator Robin Padilla before being a Senator already had experience when it comes to

serving the Filipinos. He was elected by the Army's Multi-Sectoral Advisory Board as its new

Strategic Communication Committee chairperson on July 30, 2020. He was relieved of his

post alongside other reservists who ran on the 2022 Elections, though the Army clarified this

does not relieve them of being in the reserve force of the army. In an article written by

Sadongdong (2021) “We assure the public that as a professional organization, the military

will be non-partisan. We will perform our mandate of ensuring fair elections.” was said by

Centino upon the relieving of Padilla on his post.

Senator Padilla may be experienced in serving Filipinos, but he was still flawed as a

Senator.

When a Filipino pastor and the leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, Apollo Quiboloy was

wanted for human trafficking, child abuse, and rape of the members of his church the

Kingdom of Jesus Christ, Padilla has expressed his support many times which showed his

denial of rightful justice. An article from Abarca (2024) says what was Padilla’s statement

regarding this “Hindi natin pwedeng iwan ang taong nagsakripisyo sa bayan. Kaya po mga
mahal kong kababayan, hinihingi ko po na sana huwag nating iwan si Pastor,” He also lacked

seriousness when it comes to tackling serious crimes such as marital rape, saying that it’s the

wife’s obligation to give in to her husband’s urges. From an article of GMA Integrated News

(2024), Padilla asked “So yung dati po na sinasabi na obligasyon ng asawa na babae o lalaki

na kapag ka humiling ang asawa lalaki o babae dapat pagbigyan, hindi na po yan?” Padilla’s

question regarding the wife’s obligation is a big ignorance to the word “consent” which is

permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.

Senator Padilla’s flaws as an experienced public servant before being a Senator does

not dismiss our beliefs that an individual should have gained knowledge and experience

before being one. And to participate in the field of politics, an individual must

wholeheartedly choose the decision, and not because of the urge of their friends .

Rosmarie Peñamora Tan-Pamulaklakin filed her Certificate of Candidacy for the

position of Manila Council last October 1, 2024. She told the reporters she did not originally

intend to run this year due to the stress of politics, but she was urged by many friends. “May

nag-push po sakin na, ‘Tumakbo ka kasi kailangan ka ng tao, kasi kailangan nila ng tunay na

pagbabago” (Bagaoisan, 2024).

That statement alone already was questionable, because commonly, individuals would

run for a position as they themselves wanted to begin with, not because they got urged by

friends. An insult to injury is from an article by Bajo of GMA Integrated News (2024), it was

stated that Rosmar really did not want to run as it will just give more headaches,

responsibility, and obligations for her. “''Sa totoo lang, tulad ng lagi ko pong sinasabi, wala

naman po akong balak tumakbo dahil dagdag sakit sa ulo, dagdag obligasyon,
responsibilidad... pero kasi may nagpush po sa akin 'tumakbo ka, kasi kailangan ka ng tao,

kailangan nila ng tunay na pagbabago,'' An individual who truly wants to serve should not be

thinking that these are additional headaches to them, but instead should be enjoying the

obligation and responsibility they have in serving the Filipino citizens.

Rosmar and Diwata are one of the many individuals who have surprised the public about

their filing of candidacy due to their lack of experiences and knowledge, but there is someone

who has the potential and we would say has truly considered their filing of candidacy despite

lacking the experience in the field of politics.

Atty. Elijah San Fernando from the Kamanggagawa party-list has filed his candidacy for the

position of Senator, an article by Malasig (2024) stated that San Fernando and the partylist

will not declare any campaign promises, and said that he only wants to eradicate provincial

rates among regional workers, saying they desire equal working wages among Metro Manila,

Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao workers. And that there is a need to raise workers’ salaries in

the country, San Fernando’s main agenda at the House of Representatives would be scraping

provincial rates. A post from Philippine Star (2024) on facebook shared a statement regarding

San Fernando’s platform. “That is the message of Kamanggagawa, hindi nakasalalay sa amin

ang kalutasan ng problema ng manggagawa, we are just [a] vehicle of reforms inside

Congress…Buwagin na ‘yang provincial rate at pagpapataas ng sahod ng mga manggagawa.

No other agenda, walang lokohan,” he said. San Fernando’s statements speak a lot and have

shown a lot on how he wants to serve the Filipino citizens.

Atty. Elijah San Fernando, a tik tok content creator who may not have any experience in the

field of politics, already has experience in serving the Filipino citizens. San Fernando posted
on facebook that he filed a case to prevent transferring of Philhealth Funds to making

infrastructure projects. Which is already a big thing for many Philhealth members as the

funds of Philhealth are getting transferred for projects that shouldn’t be taken from them. San

Fernando shows a lot of potential in leadership and serving the Filipino Citizens, supported

by the fact that he is a Vice President of National Federation of Labor.

CONCLUSION

Our belief is that many individuals, especially content creators and celebrities should

carefully consider before running as Public Servants or Government Officials regardless of

the intentions, especially if they lack the political knowledge and experience like Deo

Balbuena. Individuals should wholeheartedly want to run for being a counselor and not be

urged by friends like Rosmar. Some celebrities who already experienced serving the public

may still be flawed like Robin Padilla, but that does not and will not dismiss our belief.

But the case may be different for content creators who will run without prior political

knowledge, but have the experience in serving and helping the Filipino citizen like Atty.

Elijah San Fernando. The point of this position paper is for us to say that Filipinos should

have a higher standard in picking their leaders if they truly want a quality leadership and

serving, like the voters from Atkeson and Hamel (2018) who assess who are the candidates

that are fit for the job and are not. And to avoid having the Senate, or the Congressional full

of celebrities and content creators that are full of platforms, but less basis.
REFERENCES

Diwata Pares owner seeks House seat as party-list’s 4th nominee. (n.d.). Philippine News

Agency.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1234611

Atkeson, L. R., & Hamel, B. T. (2018). Fit for the Job: Candidate Qualifications and Vote

Choice in Low Information Elections. Political Behavior, 42(1), 59–82.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-018-9486-0

Borja, A. L. (2015, August 1). Why should we vote? RAPPLER.

https://www.rappler.com/voices/ispeak/101214-vote-philippines-elections/

Philippine elections and the politics behind it. (n.d.). Lowy Institute.

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/philippine-elections-politics-behind-it

Army relieves Robin Padilla, Herbert Bautista, other reservists running in ‘22 polls.

(2021,

December 7). Manila Bulletin.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/12/07/army-relieves-robin-padilla-herbert-bautista-other-

reservists-running-in-22-polls/
Abarca, C. (2024, March 13). Padilla, Go, Dela Rosa express support for Quiboloy

during the rally. INQUIRER.net.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1917812/padilla-go-dela-rosa-express-support-for-

quiboloy-during-rally

GMA Integrated News. (2024, August 15). Lawyer reminds Robin Padilla on marital

rape: No means no, it applies to all. GMA News Online.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/917260/lawyer-reminds-robin-

padilla-on-marital-rape-no-means-no-it-applies-to-all/story/

Bagaoisan, A. J. (2024, October 1). Rosmar Tan files COC for Manila councilor.

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pagbabago-rosmar-tan-files-coc-for-manila-councilor-1557

ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA Integrated News. (2024, October 1). Vlogger Rosmar

Tan files COC for councilor in Manila. GMA News Online. https://www-gmanetwork-

com.translate.goog/news/topstories/metro/922198/rosmar-tan-coc/story/?

_x_tr_sl=tl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Malasig, J. (2024, October 1). Why a political content creator is running for public

office. Interaksyon.

https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2024/10/01/284615/content-creator-

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Video | Facebook. (n.d.). https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2054571934993571