THE Partido Galing at Puso is the most star-studded political team in the May 2016 elections, having a presidential candidate who is the daughter of two actors and a vice presidential candidate who is the husband of another actress, Heart Evangelista.
Presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe, a foundling abandoned in Iloilo, is an adopted daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. and actress Susan Roces. Her running mate, Senator Francis Escudero, married Evangelista last February.
More than half of the GP candidates for senator are in show business or once were in it. These candidates include reelectionist Vicente Sotto who is married to retired actress Helen Gamboa and is father to Ciarra Sotto.
Poe, the frontrunner among the candidates for President, says it was Sotto who helped her when she became the first woman head of the Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs committee.
Another member of the movie industry is actor and TV host Edu Manzano.
Despite being estranged from his wife, actress-turned- politician Vilma Santos-Recto, Manzano has vowed to strengthen Filipino families. They have a son, Lucky Manzano, who is also in showbiz.
Poe says she first met Manzano when he was president of the Kapisanan ng mga Artista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. He also served as chairman of the Optical Media Board.
Santos-Recto, who won as governor of Batangas for three terms, is seeking a congressional seat in the province.
She is married to Senator Ralph Recto with whom she has a son, Ryan Christian, who represented him in the GP senatorial slate launch at Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan.
Recto is running under the Liberal Party led by standard bearer Manuel Roxas II and vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo.
In choosing Recto as Guest Candidate in their senatorial lineup, Poe acknowledged his being one of the “brightest” in the Senate and an economist.
Santos-Recto and FPJ appeared in the hit “Batya’t Palu-Palu” in 1974, which earned for them the “Box Office King and Queen” award. The other hit films they did were “Ikaw ang Mahal Ko” at “Bato sa Buhangin.”
Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, Francisco Domagoso in real life, was a member of the defunct youth-oriented variety show “That’s Entertainment” of German Moreno.
Poe says Moreno is a “shinning example” of how poverty is not a hindrance to success.
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, who wanted to be known as “Fighter ng Bayan sa Senado,” is an uncle of actress Angel Locsin.
Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, who comes from a family of public servants, being the grandson of Carlos P. Romulo and son of former Senator Alberto Romulo, is the husband of former Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad.
Soledad was a former co-host of Willie Revillame in the popular daily noontime show Wow-Wowee. She was also a former girlfriend of President Noynoy Aquino.
Returning Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri was a former boyfriend of singer-actress Vina Morales.
Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian also had somebody from showbiz as a former girlfriend. She had Eat Bulaga host Pauleen Luna who is now engaged to Sotto’s younger brother Vice who is also from the same noontime show.
Gatchalian is a brother of Poe’s spokesman, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian.
The four other senatoriables under Team Galing at Puso are former Senator Richard Gordon, human rights lawyer Lorna Kapunan, OFW Toots Ople and ACT-CIC party-list Rep. Samuel Pagdilao.