Content creator-pharmacist Arshie Larga reminded his fellow digital creators about their responsibility as influencers amid the filing of certificate of candidacy for the 2025 midterm elections.
The award-winning influencer on Tuesday, October 1 urged his contemporaries to “do their research first” if they happen to be approached by electoral aspirants for the upcoming polls.
“Alamin nyo ang mga plataporma ng mga kandidatong ito. Let’s be responsible content creators. Don’t do it just for the money. Future natin ang nakataya dito,” he wrote on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
“Personally, hindi ako magpapabayad para lang i-endorse ang isang kandidato,” Arshie added.
He also shared his own reasons if ever he would promote a candidate.
“Kung may makita man kayong post ko about a certain political candidate, it’s because naniniwala ako sa kakayahan ng kandidatong ito at sa kanyang plataporma. ‘Yun lang po,” the pharmacist said.
Sa mga content creators na makakakuha ng inquiry to endorse a certain political candidate. Please do your research first. Alamin nyo ang mga plataporma ng mga kandidatong ito. Let’s be responsible content creators. Don’t do it just for the money. Future natin ang nakataya dito.
— Arshie Larga (@Arshiethromycin) October 1, 2024
Personally, hindi ako magpapabayad para lang i-endorse ang isang kandidato.
Kung may makita man kayong post ko about a certain political candidate, it’s because naniniwala ako sa kakayahan ng kandidatong ito at sa kanyang plataporma. Yun lang po☺️
— Arshie Larga (@Arshiethromycin) October 1, 2024
Internet personalities like Arshie have thousands to millions of followers.
The pharmacist, who has also won awards as a digital creator, has 226,700 followers on the X platform, 4.1 million followers on TikTok, 2.2 million followers and 220,000 likes on Facebook, and 144,000 followers on Instagram.
Some electoral aspirants take this to their advantage by asking such personalities for endorsement in an attempt to capture large votes.
Other influencers would also use their reach to promote a candidate they personally prefer.
The country officially opened its election season on Tuesday as the week-long filing of the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) and Certificate of Acceptance and Nomination (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 seats in the Senate, 63 seats for party-list representatives and 254 seats in the House of Representatives.
For the local positions, there are 82 vacancies each for governor and vice governor, 800 vacancies for members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, 149 vacancies each for city mayor and city vice mayor, 1,690 vacancies for members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, 1,493 vacancies each for municipal mayor and municipal vice mayor, 11,948 vacancies for members of the Sangguniang Bayan, 45 vacancies for the members of the parliament in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and 40 vacancies for BARMM party representatives.
