Vilma Santos returns to the political scene
Star For All Seasons Vilma Santos defended her sons Kapamilya host Luis Manzano and Ryan Recto for deciding to be in politics.
Vilma is one of the most respected veteran stars in the Philippine entertainment industry. She is among the showbiz personalities who eventually ventured into public service.
For many years, she has been serving her constituents in Batangas. However, for several years, Vilma took a break from the political scene. This year, she is one of the many celebrities who filed their certificate of candidacy for the 2025 elections.
Vilma Santos will run for governor of Batangas. When she filed her COC, she was joined by her sons Luis Manzano and Ryan Recto. The Kapamilya host will be the running mate of his mother as vice governor while his younger brother will aim for the position of representative.
Vilma and his sons received support from many Batanguenos. However, there were those who expressed their negative reactions. Some questioned Luis and Ryan’s credibility and ability to be in public service.
In an interview, based on the article in The Philippine Star, the seasoned actress said that their family is not the family whose members are into politics.
“At saka kami, nag-o-offer ng serbisyo — ang tao naman ang boboto kung pagkakatiwalaan kami o hindi. Ang importante, nu’ng mahilingan akong tumakbo uli at gusto nila uling maging governor ako, inisip ko rin kung saan ako lalagay,” Vilma said.
She also mentioned that her husband Ralph Recto is not running this coming election because he is the current Secretary of Finance and that he could not leave the national government.
The veteran actress defended her sons’ decision to run. “So, ang akin lang, bakit ang dalawa kong anak? Kasi, na-expose na ‘yung dalawa kong anak sa tao. Noong secretary na si Ralph, hindi siya nakaka-attend ng mga affair sa barangay, like educational distribution, financial assistance, mga TUPAD [Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Displaced Workers],” she explained.
Vilma Santos added that her husband would always send Luis or Ryan to this kind of endeavor and with this, they are already exposed to the political scene and how public service works.
She also said that her sons are ready to serve the people and they grew up witnessing public service. The seasoned star also said that as she is running for governor, she will need help from his son Luis as her running mate because he could assist him when it comes to technology that can be needed in serving the people of Batangas.