The 2025 midterm elections weren’t just a routine political exercise — they were a reckoning. For the first time in recent memory, the Filipino electorate drew a hard line between fame and fitness to lead. The crushing defeats of Ben Tulfo, Bong Revilla Jr., Manny Pacquiao, and a laundry list of other entertainers-turned-candidates sent a clear message: the era of “artista politics” is finally collapsing under the weight of public frustration.
It’s a shift that’s been a long time coming. For decades, the Philippine Senate — the supposed bastion of policy and principle — has too often resembled a celebrity hall of fame. With name recall and media exposure as their primary currency, entertainers entered politics with little more than scripts and smiles. And we enabled it. Until now.
Only Lito Lapid managed to survive this wave, arguably due to his political longevity rather than his cinematic past. The rest? A landslide of losses. The voters didn’t just say “no” — they shouted it.
The collapse of the Marcos-aligned Alyansa slate ties into this larger story. The once-dominant force backed by a 31-million-vote mandate in 2022 is now in retreat. Marcos’ approval ratings are in free fall, and Speaker Martin Romualdez’s trust numbers are in political freefall. The people are disillusioned. They feel they were sold a golden promise in 2022 and handed plastic results by 2025.
This election didn’t just reject personalities. It rewarded platforms. It uplifted candidates like Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan, Bong Go, and Bato Dela Rosa — names with sharply defined agendas and clear political identities. They didn’t hide behind punchlines or stunts. They made their case, and the people listened.
Looking ahead, the stage is now set for an explosive 2028. It will be Sara Duterte, BG, and Robin Padilla versus the Pink-Yellow bloc of Leni, Bam, and Kiko. A true ideological clash between populist legacy and progressive momentum. Two visions of the country’s soul — both armed, both ready, and both with everything to prove.
If the 2025 results are any indication, the Filipino voter is no longer asleep. The electorate is demanding more — not entertainment, not nostalgia, not fame. Leadership. Accountability. Substance.
And that, at long last, is something to celebrate.
(Lapid/ The Lone Ranger )