The Presidential elections are drawing near, and with the candidates campaigning full force, now is the best time for voters to examine their respective platforms carefully. Among the celebrities who are vocal in encouraging active voter participation is Angelica Panganiban, who recently trended with her election-awareness videos.
In her viral video made in partnership with youth-led organization Young Public Servants, Angelica stressed that Filipinos should be wary of “mambubudol” candidates, or aspirants who deliver false hopes to the masses. “Mga ate, buhay at kalusugan ang pinag-uusapan natin dito, kawawa yung mga totoong nangangailangan sa’tin. Kaya ako one strike, one rule lang talaga ako,” she says on the video.
“'Pag may history ng pambubudol, never again, never forget tayo! Kaya ngayong eleksyon, nako, magingat tayo sa scammers, naglipana 'yan. Iwasan natin yung mga nangangako ng gold, mambubudol 'yan. Wag na tayo magpa-uto. Wag bumoto ng magnanakaw.”
On social media, netizens praised Angelica for utilizing her ~*star status*~ to encourage responsible voting. “Thank you Angelica for using your platform for the good of our country!” one user wrote, to which the actress replied, “Importante po kasi ang social responsibility.”
As of writing, the video garnered 4 million views and 159K reactions. ICYMI, it’s the follow-up clip to another viral video with a similar political message.
In an interview, the creative team behind the project explained the purpose of their campaign. “The point of this video is not to promote any candidate at all. That’s really not our intention. The intention is: come on, the presidential elections happen every six years. We need to think wisely about the people we vote into power. If they’re bad public servants, we’re going to have to suffer under them for six years! This is a collective thing; it’s not a class thing. We’re all in this together.”
They also stressed the importance of advocating against misinformation. “We want people to be smart, to not be misled by fake news, false assumptions, and revisionist history. If we can be so critical of the gowns our beauty pageant queens wear, why can’t we be as critical of the people we vote into public office? It’s not about, ‘Vote for this.’ It’s really just: ‘Think about your vote.’”