There’s this thin line that desperately tries to separate politics from showbiz but always fails to do so, with some politicians even behaving like showbiz people when they want to make “pa-cute” with the “madlang pehpohl.” That’s perhaps the reason why showbiz people tend to join politics. They look familiar to the Pinoy already. There’s not much need to advertise.
The only politician who never made “pa-cute” was then-President Rodrigo Duterte who said it as it was. But look where he is now. Tsk tsk.
Still, his children may have a hard time copying his climb to the top, a.k.a. Malacañang, now that every politically ambitious Pinoy seems to believe the highest throne is only a step away.
Anti-Duterte politicians are bent on stopping any Duterte from ever occupying a higher political position, and that rabid drive is accompanied by this thought: “They’re better off in Davao City where they belong.”
But if the Duterte patriarch could do it, so can the younger ones.
How many presidential children have made it so far? There’s former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the daughter of former President Diosdado Macapagal; former President Noynoy Aquino, the son of former President Cory Aquino; and President Bongbong Marcos, the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. And need we mention that Pres. Noynoy is Benigno S. Aquino III, son of national hero and former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr.?
There’s “chismis” that PBBM’s son Rep. Sandro Marcos will run for president in 2028 but he will be too young by then: 34 years old. The minimum age requirement for a presidential candidate is 40 on Election Day.
Rumor has it the House of Representatives is considering lowering the minimum age requirement. I won’t be surprised if 34 will be the magic number. President Sandro, anyone?
Yes, the presidency has a minimum-age requirement. Therefore, no baby presidents, please. But there’s no maximum age limit. That’s good news for me if ever I decide to run for higher office. And what lower office am I exactly occupying now that I’m aiming for a higher one? Haha.
In other words, your Lolo, Lola, great grandpa, great grandma, great great grandparents, and all the other older generations can run for president provided they meet the rest of the presidential-candidate criteria: natural-born Pinoy, registered voter, literate, and Philippine resident for at least 10 years immediately prior to the election.
Yes, K-pop hopefuls are trying to meet much higher requirements that demand discipline and commitment starting with dancing and singing lessons at the age of seven, but then they’re not running for Philippine president.
When he was vice president, Erap Estrada, who later became president, even played along with the perception that he’s not a genius in English by endorsing the “ERAPtions” joke books, the first of which was “ERAPtion: How to Speak English Without Really Trial,” written by Emil Jurado and Reli German, which was published in 1994.
Estrada became president in 1998. Were the “ERAPtions” instrumental in his victory? But then he was removed from power through People Power II in January 2001. His children Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito are now senators, but they’re largely silent on any plans for higher office.
