Endorsing politicians tricky–Luis Manzano

HE ATTENDED parents’ political sorties, not as a voter but as a son

With the midterm election just a few weeks away, more and more show biz personalities are taking time off from busy schedules to join sorties or other campaign-related events.

Like most high-profile celebs, host-actor Luis Manzano does get asked to endorse political hopefuls. But he has never accepted any such offer. It’s tricky, Luis said, because he’s from a family of politicians.

“The candidate I want to support may not be in the same party as my mom or dad, for instance,” Luis told the Inquirer at a recent media gathering for the junior edition of “Minute to Win It,” which starts tomorrow on ABS-CBN in a pre-lunchtime slot.

Luis’ mother, Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos is seeking reelection; his stepfather Ralph Recto is an incumbent senator. His father Edu Manzano, former vice mayor of Makati City, ran for vice president in 2010.

“Dad ran under Lakas-CMD; my mom was with the Liberal Party. It was hard to give my full support to either … If I campaigned for my dad, it was like going against my mom in a way, and vice versa,” Luis explained. “I attended my dad’s miting de avance not as a voter, but as his son. I did the same for my mom.”

He finds nothing wrong with stars endorsing aspirants, for a fee or for free, as long as they believe in the candidates’ ideals. “If you get paid, that’s good; if you do it for free, that’s even better,” he said.

Looking back

Luis himself has been getting offers to run for public office. In a previous interview with the Inquirer, the 32-year-old Kapamilya said he wasn’t closing that door. But not while he was in show biz, he said. “Public service is a full-time job.”

He just marked his 10th year in the biz— something he didn’t dream would happen when he started as a Myx VJ. Looking back on his journey, Luis said one of his biggest achievements was the movie “In My Life,” which he did with his mom. It won for him the best supporting actor trophy from the 2010 Star Awards for Movies.

He is also proud of his improvement as a TV host, especially when he watches old videos and can’t understand a word he is saying. He credits Edu for his gift of gab.

Asked if he wanted more acting projects, Luis said in his trademark goofy way: “I’m not leading-man material—ang haba ng mukha ko, e. Ang puhunan ko lang talaga ay ang pagiging makulit ko.”