Win some, lose some

The bigger losers are the bigger – in fact, the biggest! – stars. So what sort of signal to the public in general and the movie industry in particular was coming from the May 14 elections which were perhaps one of the most star-studded in Philippine history?

Yes, it was a big slap on the industry which, sad to say, will suffer the painful consequences of the elections for months and months, maybe even years, to come. The showbiz debacle (how else can you call it?) is a wake-up call for movie stars who may be planning to run again (or, first-timers daring to wade in the uncertain political waters) to think 10 times or to replay what Dolphy has been saying over and over again, "Madali ang tumakbo. Papano kung manalo?" That classic line should now be slightly reworded, just one word to be changed, in fact: "Madali ang tumakbo. Papano kung matalo?"

Even if NAMFREL and COMELEC have yet to complete its counting and canvassing of votes, there’s already an obvious trend on which actor-politicians (and showbiz-friendly candidates) are winning and losing.

Let’s do a recap and see how those who ran are faring:

• For Senator

– Noli de Castro (winning)

– Kiko Pangilinan (winning)

– Dong Puno (losing)

– Orly Mercado (losing)

– Winnie Monsod (losing)

– Manoling Morato (lost)

– Rod Navarro (lost)

– Ralph Recto (winning)

• For Congressman

– Ted Failon (Leyte, winning)

– Gilbert Remulla (Cavite, winning)

– Teddyboy Locsin (Makati, winning)

– Jose Mari Gonzalez (San Juan, lost)

– Armida Siguion-Reyna (Makati, lost)

– Ronald Estella (San Juan, losing)

– Chuck Mathay (Quezon City, winning)

– Mike Planas (Quezon City, lost)

• For Governor

– Bong Revilla (Cavite, losing)

– Nora Aunor (Camarines Sur, lost)

– Lito Lapid (Pampanga, winning)

– Bong Carreon (Marinduque, losing)

• For Vice Governor

– Dan Fernandez (Laguna, winning)

– Imelda Papin (Camarines Sur, winning)

– Mikey Arroyo (Pampanga, winning)

• For Mayor

– Rudy Fernandez (Quezon City, losing)

– Joey Marquez (Parañaque, winning)

– Lani Mercado (Bacoor, Cavite, losing)

– Vilma Santos (Lipa City, winning)

– Rey Malonzo (Caloocan, winning)

– Fred Lim (Manila, losing)

– Edu Manzano (Makati, losing)

– Gary Estrada (San Antonio, Quezon, losing)

– Jorge Estregan Jr. (Pagsanjan, Laguna, winning)

• For Vice Mayor

– Herbert Bautista (Quezon City, winning)

– Connie Angeles (Quezon City, losing)

– Phillip Salvador (Mandaluyong, losing)

– Bobby Guanzon (Caloocan, losing)

– Tirso Cruz III (Las Piñas, losing)

• For Councilor

– Isko Moreno (Manila, winning)

– Cita Astals (Manila, winning)

– Lou Veloso (Manila, winning)

– Robert Ortega (Manila, winning)

– Larrie Silva (Manila, winning)

– Aiko Melendez (Quezon City, winning)

– Dingdong Avanzado (Quezon City, losing)

– Anthony Castelo (Quezon City, losing)

– Dennis Roldan (Quezon City, losing)

– George Canseco (Quezon City, losing)

– Lander Vera-Perez (Quezon City, winning)

– Lala Sotto (Quezon City, losing)

– Anjo Yllana (Parañaque, winning)

– Jestoni Alarcon (Antipolo, winning)

– Mely Tagasa (Antipolo, losing)

– Victor Wood (Antipolo, losing)

– Dennis Padilla (Caloocan, winning)

– Darius Razon (Mandaluyong, winning)

– Rico J. Puno (Makati, winning)

– Nonoy Zuñiga (Makati, losing)

– April Boy Regino (Caloocan, losing)

• Party List

– Richard Gomez’s MAD (winning, No. 1)

– Kuh Ledesma’s Pinatubo (uncertain)

Balato o hatiin?

In a recent edition of Eat Bulaga’s Laban o Bawi, Bunny Paras won more than a hundred thousand pesos and her agreement (verbal and written) with her fellow (12) contestants was that whoever won would get 50 percent of the loot, er, bounty and let the losers divide the other 50 percent among themselves.

After all was said and done, Bunny, on the advice of her mother, didn’t keep her word because, according to her mother in an interview with Startalk, "Bunny needed the money for the educational plan" of her love child (by Mo Twister).

Foul, cried Melissa Mendez, one of the losers.

"It’s not the money but the principle," said Melissa. "Bunny’s mom made us look like mukhang-kuwarta. We’re not after balato, like what Bunny’s mom said, but after our fair share."

"Beggars can’t be choosers," Bunny’s mom also said on Startalk.

"We’re not begging," said Melissa. "What’s P6,000-plus? I can give them P20,000-plus if they needed the money badly. What we’re fighting for is the principle of the thing."

There you are, another fight over a TV windfall, just like when bold stars Sabrina M. and Hazel Espinosa bumped heads in a similar incident on MTB’s Winner Take All.

Funfare’s last say?

Enough already. Fighting over money is embarrassing, especially if it’s money you didn’t really work for.