“It’s Showtime” hosts Vice Ganda, Vhong Navarro, Jhong Hilario and Kim Chiu were visibly taken aback when a contestant admitted about having little knowledge about the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
The viral moment occurred during the noontime program’s “Sexy Babe” segment, when Vice Ganda asked a 20-year-old contestant identified as Heart Aquino, about her message to the COMELEC.
“Ano ang mensahe mo sa COMELEC?” the comedienne relayed to the young candidate.
After “struggling” to answer the question, Heart eventually claimed that she was unfamiliar with the government agency, responding, “Sorry po, hindi po ako masyadong knowledgeable about sa COMELEC.”
Vice Ganda, expressing concern, remarked, “Oh my gosh, that is bothersome,” stressing her lack of awareness at such age and given the upcoming 2025 midterm elections, discussions about COMELEC are frequent in the media and online spaces.
Kim followed up by asking if the contestant was a registered voter, to which she responded, “Hindi pa po.”
The actress encouraged her to register, while Vice Ganda probed further, asking, “Wala ka bang naririnig? Hindi ka ba nanonood ng telebisyon? Nagbabasa ng diyaryo? Internet?”
The contestant explained, “Wala po kaming TV. Hindi rin po masyado lumilitaw sa news feed ko.”
Jhong, who serves as a councilor in Makati, took the opportunity to educate the contestant and viewers, explaining that COMELEC is responsible for organizing and ensuring free, fair and honest elections.
“Yung Comelec, sila ‘yung nag-aayos bago mag-elections, mga kandidato,” Hilario explained with Vice adding, “Sila ang may kinalaman sa lahat ng kaganapan tungkol sa election sa Pilipinas.”
Eventually, the contestant managed to provide an answer to the original question, stating, “Siguro ang message ko sa kanila, let’s be fair po. Kasi meron tayo ano, kahit sa barangay lang yan, yung mga bayad, bayad ng votes. So let’s be fair po siguro kasi deserve natin yung uupo na talagang may mabibigay sa atin, lahat tayo sa community na may pakikinabangan.”
Celebrity judge JC de Vera chimed in and spoke about the importance of staying informed about matters that concern the country.
“I think kailangan natin matuto sa lahat ng mga nangyayari ngayon sa paligid natin. Kasi, I think as Filipinos, kailangan natin talagang magbigay ng suporta sa bansa natin at alam natin na dapat nating alam ang mga nangyayari dito sa bansa.”
The incident sparked discussions online, with netizens raising their concerns about the need to address the Philippines’ educational crisis and illiteracy on societal issues among young Filipinos.
