'Gustong tumulong?' Influencers urged to be clear with platforms during elections

MANILA — An analyst urged Sunday content creators who filed their certificate of candidacy (COC) to make their motives clear when running for office as election season draws near.

Election watchdog Kontra Daya said that while celebrities or public figures have long been running for government posts, the incoming election is unique as it sees a rise in influencers vying for the position.

"Dati hina-hire lang sila para tumulong sa promotion ng mga kandidato. Ngayon, sila na mismo yung mga kumakandidato. Kahit sino naman pwedeng tumakbo basta't mayroong sinseridad na talagang magsisilbi sa bayan. Kaya we don't take anything away from influencers and content creators," Kontra Daya Convenor Danilo Arao said in TeleRadyo Serbisyo's Story Outlook.

"Pero syempre, dahil sa kanilang unique na katangian, dapat sana mas maliwanag nilang sinasabi sa mamamayan bakit sila tumatakbo," he said.

Arao said influencers should be clear with their platforms instead of saying vague statements such as "tatakbo ako dahil gusto ko tumulong."

He added that the public should also be wary of the influencers' allegiance with political clans since the content creators may be used as a "deodorizer."

"Ayaw natin ng sitwasyon na may mga influencer na ginagamit bilang deodorizer ng mga political clan na masama ang track record tapos porket they are in the company of certain popular influencers ay babango na ang kanilang imahe," Arao said.

While it may also be true that content creators just want to help the public, they should be transparent enough to let the public know who's backing them up.

"Pwedeng gusto rin naman talaga nilang tumulong o tumakbo. Kaya lang, people behind them should also be exposed. Itong mga influencers, if they consider their lives as an open book — dito sila nakakapag-monetize ng kanilang content sa social media by opening up their lives — dapat they should open up [who] the people are behind them, at sino ang nagpopondo sa kanila para tumakbo," he said.

"Hindi biro yung gastusin [sa kampaniya]. I don't think the influencers would be willing to partake of such high amounts of money — kahit na kumikita sila ng malaki — para lang tumakbo pero walang kasiguraduhan na sila ay mananalo. Mayroon at mayroon talagang mags-sponsor sa kanila na dapat alam natin kung sino," Arao added.