Nothing wrong with having celebrities as nominees or endorsers, says party-list

Rep. Florencio Noel, of the An Waray party-list group. PHOTO FROM AN WARAY FACEBOOK PAGE

TACLOBAN CITY – A party-list group in Eastern Visayas saw nothing wrong with using celebrities as nominees or endorsers in the 2022 elections.

Rep. Florencio Noel of the An Waray party-list said there is no law that prohibits the arrangement.

In the 2019 elections, Noel said the An Waray fielded singer Nonoy Zuñega as its third nominee.

But Zuñega, who is from Calbayog City in Samar, failed to get a seat in the House of Representatives as An Waray only managed to take one seat which was occupied by Noel.

He said An Waray previously tapped celebrities like Boy Abunda, who is from Borongan City, Eastern Samar, and Karla Estrada who is from Tacloban City, as endorsers.

Estrada is now the third nominee of Tingog, a party-list also from Eastern Visayas whose first nominee is Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez.

Aside from Estrada, other celebrities who are running under the party-list system in next year’s elections are superstar Nora Aunor under Nora A, beauty queen Shamcey Supsup under Arte, and Mocha Uson under Mother for Change, among others.

Rep. Noel said this time, they don’t have any celebrity either as nominee or endorser as they are banking on their track record and qualified nominees.

Aside from him, An Waray has Mayor Allan Contado of Balangkayan town in Eastern Samar and Vice Mayor Carmelo Locsin Jr. of Ormoc City in Leyte as the second and third nominees.

An Waray first joined the party-list system in 2004. Since then, it managed to take at least two congressional seats.