The first post.

Don't get me wrong: I have nothing against the guy. I've never even watched his movies. I've never been really interested or involved in local showbiz, the relationships, the trends and the latest gossip in the industry.

So there I was, one weekend watching TV with the siblings at home, channel surfing. We hit on GMA-7's S-Files, where due to the election ban, Richard Gomez couldn't appear on the show anymore. So what they had was a one-hour extravaganza of various showbiz celebrities singing his praises for being "kwela", "kalog", "masaya kasama". Lots of snippets and montages of Richard Gomez's interviews where he made celebrities cry and reveal their secrets and fears to the TV audience (the metrosexual Oprah, perhaps?). Shows where he was able to get couples to reveal their 'true feelings' to each other on air, and express their hopes and dreams. Not quite the patented 'mahiwagang salamin', but it does the trick.

At the end of it (yes, we watched till the bitter end), we saw Richard himself, teary-eyed and emotional, flanked by his cohosts (also shedding the requisite tears. They are 'actors', after all), declaring himself as running for the Philippine Senate. The next day he filed for candidacy accompanied by his wife and all sorts of showbiz supporters. He claimed that he will "bring his youthful energy to the Senate".

Please.

Mr. Gomez, being able to 'represent the country' doesn't mean having been an image model to countless brands and shown yourself in millions of billboards, magazine ads and posters. Having been a talk show host for a gossip show for years doesn't mean you know the 'pulse of the people'. Ticket sales for your movies don't really equate to the same thing when we want to try to balance the National Budget. Showing off your pretty wife during events will not hide your zero experience in public service (delusions of having his own personal Jackie Kennedy?). Being 'kwela' or 'kalog' is really not the same as taking the floor for a parliamentary speech and engaging others to a debate that could mean passing a bill into a law.

My advice? Stick with showbiz and do your ad campaigns. If you really want to serve the public, join real interest groups as a celebrity-citizen. Or get MAD truly off the ground, not just putting your face as the token popular face in their ad campaigns (I'm sure he'll put his MAD involvement in the elections)