“Silent Superstar” Jodi Sta. Maria reminded Filipinos to carefully think about the electoral aspirants they plan to vote for in the 2025 midterm elections.
The award-winning actress took to the X (formerly Twitter) platform to issue the reminder as aspirants file their Certificates of Candidacy (COC) and Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA) for the upcoming polls until October 8.
The country officially opened its election season on October 1 as the week-long filing of the COC and CONA kicked off at the offices of the Commission on Elections.
A total of 18,280 elective posts are up for grabs in the 2025 national and local elections to be held on May 12.
There are 12 available seats in the Senate, 63 seats for party-list representatives, and 254 seats in the House of Representatives.
For the local positions, here are the vacancies:
- Governor: 82 seats
- Vice Governor: 82
- Members of Sangguniang Panlalawigan: 800
- City Mayor: 149
- City Vice Mayor: 149
- Members of Sangguniang Panlungsod: 1,690
- Municipal Mayor: 1,493
- Municipal Vice Mayor: 1,493
- Members of Sangguniang Bayan: 11,948
- Members of parliament in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM):45
- BARMM party representatives: 40
Meanwhile, Jodi urged her fellow voters to consider their preferred candidates as Filipinos formalized their intentions to run for public office.
“My morning thought — We may not have control over who runs for public office, but our strength lies in wisely choosing those deserving of our trust,” she wrote on Wednesday, October 2.
“Make informed choices,” the actress added.
My morning thought – We may not have control over who runs for public office, but our strength lies in wisely choosing those deserving of our trust. Make informed choices. 💭
— Jodi Sta.Maria (@JodiStaMaria) October 2, 2024
Her post has earned 14,000 likes, 5,600 reposts, 178 bookmarks and 81 replies so far.
Others shared her post with the caption: “Vote wisely!”
Vote Wisely!!! https://t.co/jkg9T4FOUa
— Kye🧜🏻♀️ (@karenchiiie) October 2, 2024
“Huhu, yes, pls. Kilatisin mabuti ang mga tatakbo. Hindi ‘yung porket sikat or artista sila, agad [nang] iboboto. Please use your right to vote wisely,” another Filipino wrote.
A different online user also had a similar post on the same day.
“Dear fellow Filipinos, election po ito para sa mga mamumuno sa bansa. ‘Di po ng TODA at PTA. Please lang,” a Filipino wrote.
TODA refers to Tricycle Operators and Drivers’ Associations, while PTA could mean Parent-Teacher Associations.
Meanwhile, Jodi’s post also made its way to Reddit, where it received 1,700 upvotes.
A Redditor attempted to translate her post into Filipino to make it more accessible to other people.
“Gonna give this one a try for Tagalog enjoyers,” Reddit user SmallCorvette wrote.
Hindi man natin kontrol kung sino-sino ang tatakbo sa politika, may kakayahan tayong mamili ng mga politikong karapat-dapat talaga sa posisyon. Sikapin nating gumawa ng matalinong desisyon.
“Hope that sounds simple and natural,” the Redditor said.
Content creator-pharmacist Arshie Larga also recently reminded his fellow influencers to be mindful if they are offered a chance to promote an electoral aspirant.
RELATED: ‘Research first’: Arshie Larga tells fellow content creators on political endorsements
The 2025 national and local elections allow Filipinos to exercise their right to vote for new leaders or reelect public officials who they think are worthy of leading people.
The conduct of elections is a democratic procedure allowing voters to decide who will hold public office.
