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Few people would have guessed that Fernando Poe Jr., the popular Philippine movie star, even followed politics. On the silver screen, Poe, 64, is known best to his fans as the strong, silent hero who's always looking out for the little guy. That also happens to be the image he's projecting in his current presidential bid. Since he declared his candidacy in November, Poe hasn't laid out his platform, hasn't accepted any invitations to participate in debates and hasn't granted any one-on-one interviews to the press. But then why should he? Although voters may not know where he stands on the issues, "Da King" --as he is commonly known--is already the front runner, polling ahead of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Philippine elections--indeed, Philippine society--has always been obsessed with celebrity; former president and actor Joseph Estrada was himself best known (and elected) as an on-screen working-class hero. But the presidential race that is beginning to unfold in Manila is taking that one step farther. Arroyo, realizing that she may need more than her platform, money and Ph.D. in economics to beat her action-hero opponent, has picked as her vice presidential running mate Noli de Castro, a popular senator and former TV news personality, who once anchored the country's No. 1 tabloid news program. For her senatorial team, Arroyo picked two other movie actors who've dabbled in local politics, and a senator who is a former basketball star. Increasingly the Philippine political landscape appears to have little room for those without some degree of celebrity status. "Philippine politics has not moved beyond personalities," says Emmanuel Lallana, a political analyst. "It was the traditional politicians before, now it's the movie stars and media celebrities."
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This May's election is already unique. Arroyo is the first sitting president to seek another term since the then President Ferdinand Marcos's attempt in 1986. So while Arroyo's campaign will stress her accomplishments--specifically, tackling terrorist threats and bringing cases against the Marcos family for their ill-gotten wealth--her opponents will make fresh fodder out of allegations of corruption against her husband and her many policy flip-flops. Still, in this contest of marquee names, the issues may not matter. "Issues do not galvanize votes," says political analyst Jose Magadia. "So politicians simply repackage themselves and celebrities join the fray."
This turn is particularly bad news for the other two candidates for president: opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former senator and Education secretary Raul Roco. Lacson, a former police chief, has fashioned himself as an anticrime crusader. For his part Roco has a sterling reputation; his efforts to curb corruption in the educational system have saved the country hundreds of millions of pesos. But most analysts consider them long shots. Roco is supposedly already under pressure from Arroyo supporters to bow out so as not to split the anti-Poe vote. Says Rufus Rodriguez, spokesperson of an opposition party, "It is despair that has driven ordinary Filipinos to turn to screen heroes as their possible savior." That despair may deepen if the winner isn't up to the role of a lifetime.
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