Former sexy actress Ara Mina is currently running for Councilor in Quezon City. I’ve been hearing about this video of Ara getting interviewed by DJ Mo Twister on ANC and how bizarre her answers were. I finally found time to dig up the video on Youtube and can I just say that it is indeed mind blowing. She definitely lost the support of a lot of residents in Quezon City because of this interview. This video already has 100,000 views and I expect it to snowball and become viral in the coming days.
In her interview with Mo Twister, Ara Mina said that she supports private armies. When prodded to explain further, she says that she hasn’t been following the Maguindanao massacre at all and that she has no time to watch the news. To quote her:
“I’m always out. Di ko ma-afford manood ng news.”
Stunning answer.
Next up she goes on to explain that the reason why she doesn’t watch the news because she finds it depressing. She can’t stomach it. Politics is all about servicing your countrymen because they HAVE PROBLEMS. If one can’t carry other people’s burdens then that person has no business running for public office.
Here’s the complete video:
Good job Mo Twister. 
EDIT: I just found Ara Mina’s official reply to this issue on Mo’s blog.
“Thanks for giving me the chance to answer the issue kasi at the rate it’s going, naging viral campaign na against me, which is unfair kasi nai-influence ang mga tao based on a video that has been re-edited. “Una, I will not claim and I have never claimed na napakagaling ko or that I know everything about national issues. Kung ang tanong is that may alam ba ako? Oo. But in an interview na rapidfire ang pagtatanong, siyempre nag-iisip pa ako, bumabalanse at nag-a-assess kung ano [ang] implication ng sagot ko.
“For example: Am I for or against pre-marital sex? Ask me again and I will still give the same answer—Against. Bakit? Maraming kabataan na ang nakatingin sa akin ngayon, who will follow my example, who will take my answer seriously. Tama bang sabihin ko na yes, I am for pre-marital sex? Hindi. Kalat na kalat ngayon ang issue ng pagdami ng may HIV at AIDS na kabataan tapos sasagot ako na parang kino-condone ko pa?
“Susunod, are you for or against private armies? I said ‘for’ but sasabihin ko yung totoong nasa loob ko. Realistically po, kaya ba natin maalis ang private armies? Even dito sa bagong commission na tinatag nila, tingin mo po mawawala yung mga politiko o tao na natatakot ma-ambush o mapatay? Hindi. Alam niyo po, yung problema kasi during the interview, ang dami kong tinitimbang sa isip ko. At kahit sinong guest siguro dumadaan sa ganito—’tama ba o hindi?’ ‘Ok ba o hindi?’ Hindi ibig sabihin noon, wala akong alam o wala akong pakialam.
“Ang problema ko lang po, hindi ako sanay sa political interviews. Pero yung husgahan ako na parang ang sama-sama ko na, ang sakit naman. Sana natanong ako sa issue ng [2nd] district like palupa, patubig o ano pa, para napakita ko [kung] ano yung alam ko. Ang sama ng loob ko is, kung bakit after almost one month after ko nag-guest, ‘tsaka nilalabas ito? Obviously, may gustong manira sa akin. Imagine, halos isang oras yung show tapos nilalabas is a 3 or 5-minute video kung saan naka-highlight yung supposed pagkakamali ko.
“Alam niyo po, mapapansin naman sa video na nag-iisip ako, I was weighing my answers. Mabilis lang yung tanong at lalong naging mabilis tingnan when they re-edited the video. Grabe, kung hindi demolition job ito, ewan ko na. Nagtiyaga sila i-edit yung video, i-upload at ikalat kung saan-saan. Sana pinakita nila [yung] buong interview.
“Sana po naisip rin nila na mahirap masalang sa isang political interview lalo na’t ingat na ingat ako na baka may masagasaan ako o matamaan ako.”
(Author’s note: This article has been edited already to reflect my sentiments in my latest post)
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i have one basic question:
why is it vital for a person running for city councilor to have deep analysis of national issues?
shouldnt she be judged for her knowledge of LOCAL issues?
There are many famous names and faces, particularly the artists want to enter politics without experience, education, knowledge etc. Yes! they are using their popularity to get the vote of the people.
there main goal in entering politics are to help our country, people etc. My God. You can even help without entering to the dirtiest game in the world. Thats why I am wondering, you can help even without in politics. For sure they have hidden agenda why they want to enter politics. Im not totally saying that famous people particularly the artist have no rights to lead our country, definitely we all have the rights. But not all are qualified.
…because the issues she was “grilled” on- VFA, private armies, etc- have an impact on us as a nation, residents of QC or otherwise.
Hey GabbyD, why don’t you just vote for Ara Mina and stop finding excuses. Maybe your the only person who will. thanks
Gabby, national issues will always affect local issues. You can’t just focus on local and turn a blind eye to national.
What’s even more frustrating is her attitude. It’s as if she really doesn’t care about what’s happening to the country and I don’t understand for the life of me why she’s running for public office.
Lastly, shying away from the burdens and problems of your countrymen is definitely not a trait of a good public official.
@carlo
how can/does the maguindanao massacre/private armies affect the 2nd district? whats an example of that?
i readily admit she’s not the most eloquent person.
but i submit that private armies isnt in the 10 ten things councilors of QC are supposed to have good solutions on.
now, about her attitude. how do you know she doesnt care about whats happening to the country?
based on the fact that she doesnt watch the news? since when is watching the evening news the litmus test for caring about people?
how can one know whether someone cares or not cares?
answer: we show how we care by our actions. is she involved in her community? what are her advocacies? if she were an actress, and then decided, out of the blue, to run, then i admit, thats suspect behavior.
honestly i dont know. i suspect, but am not sure, she has been active in her community.
my point is that THIS is the key criterion for someone who want to be active in local politics.
mo twister never asked about local issues. why?
the reason is obvious. its a national TV show — mo doesnt care about water, education, street children in QC, or whatever local issue that plagues her district. totally understandable that he doesnt ask those questions.
but why are we judging her based on whether she watches the news– a criterion that will never come up in the performance of her duties as councilor. i watch the news — does that mean i can be a councilor in my city? do i pass the test?
thanks carlo, i’m just really confused about this ara mina thing. are we judging her on the stuff that matters for the postion she’s seeking?
or are we just saying “if ur not urbane, eloquent, or speak english well” ur not worthy of public office?
if its the latter, then i think our priorities are mixed up.
@Gabby:
Two things come to mind as to why I believe people should not vote for her based on this interview which will pretty much address your concerns.
1. Experience and Knowledge
Watch the video again. How can someone in good conscience vote for a public official who doesn’t follow the news? As a public official you need to be aware of everything around you, not just local. By being abreast of the things nationally, councilors can make better choices when it comes to executive and legislative decisions.
It’s like what people say – “Experience is not the best teacher. The experience of others is.”
How does Maguindanao affect local politics and her running for councilor? Part of the job of a Councilor is policy making. If one is for private armies and a local policy comes along that wants to establish one locally then we can expect Ara Mina will support that bill.
Another argument I’d make here is that in absence of experience, one at least needs knowledge. She is lacking in both.
You can’t just run for public office because you give to charity or you help in relief efforts. There’s a solid job description for councilors and I’m pretty sure that if you don’t follow national issues or concerns then you’ll have a hard time performing that function.
2. She gets depressed at bad news
How many depressed areas does QC have? How bad are the conditions in the local government hospitals? I’ve been shot before and I was brought to East Avenue and I wasn’t even given anesthetics when they operated on my lungs. If she can’t stomach bad news on TV, how can I expect her to carry the burden of her less fortunate constituents?
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t vote for her because she’s not eloquent bro. I’m saying we shouldn’t vote for her because she clearly lacks the experience, knowledge, and maybe even the guts for the job.
There’s no reason for her to run for office if she can’t handle political interviews. Is she expecting showbiz questions in all her interviews?!
@ Gabby: Number fan of Ara Mina. Hey Gabby wanna run with Ara Mina.
On the side note, is it true, as she claims, that she’s #1 or #2 in the surveys?
Guys no below the belt comments please, hehe. I actually like and appreciate intelligent exchanges
@Arnold: In all honesty I think she’ll easily win. lol.
A person not aware of issues isn’t going to bode well. At least there are other councilors making their mark, like those from the Crisologos.
@carlo
1) “There’s a solid job description for councilors and I’m pretty sure that if you don’t follow national issues or concerns then you’ll have a hard time performing that function.”
this is precisely the bone of our contention.
to my knowledge, private armies is NOT a major issue in the job of a councilor.
if u know what the job description of a councilor is, i’d love to know it, and how national issues come into play.
from paranaque’s description of what the city council does:
“Legal powers of the City Council. In accordance to the Local Government Code of the Philippines, the City Council may therefore (1) approve ordinances and pass resolutions necessary for an efficient and effective city government, (2) generate and maximize the use of resources and revenues for the development plans, program objectives and priorities of the city, with particular attention to industrial development and city-wide growth and progress, (3) enact ordinances granting franchises and authorizing the issuance of permits or licenses, upon such conditions and for such purposes intended to promote the general welfare of the inhabitants of the city, (4) regulate activities relative to the use of land, buildings and structures within the city in order to promote general welfare, (5) approve ordinances which shall ensure the efficient and effective delivery of basic services and facilities for Parañaque’s citizenry, and (6) exercise such other powers and perform such other duties and functions as may be prescribed by law or ordinance. It is also required of the township or barangay councils to submit their respective legislations and budget schedules to the City Council for the latter’s review and recommendation for the Mayor’s approval.”
These are the issues that are relevant. i’m sure private armies arent in the 10 top issues in QC.
right? last time i was on commonwealth ave, that was never top of my mind!
what am i missing here? why the bruhaha?
2) i totally agree with you: knowledge and experience are important.
thats MYpoint too — the interview says NOTHING about either. mo asked her nothing about her experience. nothing about her LOCAL knowledge; knowledge actually relevant 2 the job she’s interested in.
now, if she said something stupid about QC, then i’m on board. but that DID NOT HAPPEN.
3) finally: she doesnt watch news.
first, as i recall, she claimed she was busy. thats legit right? second, she claims local news depresses her. fine.
but that doesnt mean she doesnt KNOW what the problems are. she just doesnt want the blood and gore shoved up her face all the time.
seriously, there IS a difference between a personal preference not to know on each and every murder that happens in the country VS knowing the ugly side of your locality.
right?
4) so seriously, why are people laughing at something that has nothing to do with the job she wants?
is this a class thing? an education thing?
that interview is a great reason not to elect her to congress, the senate, or president.
this is also a fine reason not to invite her to a party with, say a genteel audience, of diplomats, and expect scintillating conversation.
this is also a great reason not to bet for her to win jeopardy (its a game show).
but she doesnt want to do ANY of those things.
so what;s the problem?
personally, i think people are reacting coz of a combination of schadenfreude and a preference for eloquence.
she’s not eloquent. she was embarrassed on national TV. she’s a celebrity.
thats funny.
funny, and the assumpiton of not eloquent in english === stupid, implies that we shouldnt vote for her.
schadenfreude is a real phenomenon — real, but deplorable.
not eloquent in english === stupid is a common assumption, but isnt always true. especially if we consider solely eloquence in english.
@mon
why am i interested in this? (i think thats what urtrying 2 say).
i’m interested in the truth about why this is such a big deal to her running for QC councilor, when it isnt relevant to her job.
@Gabby:
The bigger issue is her not being aware of national issues which I think I already explained in my previous reply. Let me reiterate:
“Watch the video again. How can someone in good conscience vote for a public official who doesn’t follow the news? As a public official you need to be aware of everything around you, not just local. By being abreast of the things nationally, councilors can make better choices when it comes to executive and legislative decisions.It’s like what people say – Experience is not the best teacher. The experience of others is.”
The job description of the councilor pretty much fits into this because to make executive and legislative decisions, you need to be aware of what other municipalities and cities are facing because you might encounter those problems in your own backyard as well.
If you don’t agree with me on that then I don’t think we’ll reach a compromise on this issue, hahaha
I’m not against her because she can’t speak english properly. I cannot and will not vote for public officials, local or national, who don’t care enough to know the latest issues and concerns being faced by the country.
I just can’t do it in good conscience. Like my previous discussion with Albert, I think we will just have to agree to disagree.
I will yield to you on one good point that you made – Mo Twister’s questions didn’t test her experience so the audience is in the dark if Ara Mina did or did not do anything for QC so far. That’s the challenge for Ara now. If she has a publicist, then she should come out with more information about what she’s done so that people will see that instead of her ignorance for national issues.
Being aware of what’s goind on around you DOES NOT make one a good public official.
A good public official comes from the heart and soul NOT by following the news.
Yes Rino, but it will definitely help if you did.
@Rino- All the best public officials i know- in the Philippines or in the international scene- do follow the news. Just a coincidence? Hmmmm…..
she has the will and the right to run for office but,
definitely she’s not qualified..
too bad for her..
how would we vote for someone who don’t even watch the news? how would she lead? dyan palang proof na hindi siya concerned sa kapaligiran nya. dba??? boo ARA!
Pingback: An Apology for Ms. Ara Mina | Juan Country
@Anna,
define “best public official” then look around you.
I share the same views with GabbyD. Being eloquent and highly educated isn’t enough to make a good public servant. I think it’s too early too judge Ara Mina. She may have come from the “shitful” world of showbusiness, she may have been raised in a broken family, and she may not be an MBA graduate, BUT what if she’s sincere in serving the people? She can learn the ropes of the job as she goes along. Look at our present leader, the smartest thief of all time – her Harvard – earned credentials never got us anywhere.
@carlo
notice that i didnt argue: “not watching the news is good”
i’m not saying that.
i’m saying 2 things:
1) private armies is NOT an issue in QC, hence not a basis for voting or not voting for her.
c’mon man — surely we can all agree on that, right? there is NO private armies problem. hence no legislation for it.
if there is a private armies problem; i’d like to know.
2) the key issue is, does she know enough to do her job in QC effectively. if you think watching the news is a good enough indicator, then i suppose it is.
or maybe, watching the news is a signal about other things about her. a genuine interest inthe world outside of one’s district? this is what i got from ur reply. thats fine.
like i said in my other post — i just wanna understand the backlash. apparently, there is a desire to have our politicians knowlegeable in general, not just re specific knowlege, thats cool.
if so, u (and everyone) is free to have that belief and opinion– that councilor should be knowlegeable about events outside their districts. thats cool. we can impose our own standards about people in office, i guess — even if these standards arent critical in their function.
BUT my point here is simply: watching the news, and knowing issues in QC are 2 different things.
and i think we agree (correct me if i’m wrong), the latter is FAR more important than the former.
hey, she’s against anti-pornography bill why not vote for her.. LOL
@Gabby: I agree with you main point.
Two different things.
However, watching the news and being aware of national issues should be part of the job of any politician, local or national. Maybe that’s just a personal thing for me, like what you said.
Yes, private armies is not an issue in QC, however I will not support a politician who supports private armies. It sends out the wrong signal.
Lastly, I wrote a new post, hope you had time to read it: http://www.juancountry.com/an-apology-for-ms-ara-mina/
1. ara does not know how to speak good english – but who does??? even the brightest minds do admit their mistakes. and besides, it is not a requirement to run for public office. so don’t focus on the way she speaks. it’s ok, even moses was chosen to speak in front of pharaoh, kahit utal sya, he managed it.
2. ara feels depressed watching or hearing bad news. fine, it’s her choice not to watch those, but hey, that doesn’t give her the excuse not to know ANYTHING about it. maguindanao massacre, as the caller pointed out, became the talk of the town for over a month. if it’s true that she has the heart to serve others, then that heart would’ve cried out for the journalists who died on that fateful day. she should’ve followed the news, bits and pieces. note, some of the victims were residents of QC.
3. private armies is NOT an issue in QC… yes, it is not… but does it give her the excuse to be PRO-private armies? fine, that’s her take on the argument. but please ara, PROVE that your stand of being in favor of private armies is helpful. yun lang naman ang tanong. hindi tinanong kung may private army issues sa QC. .the question was “are you FOR or AGAINST..”? whatever your answer is, prove that it is beneficial. or prove that your answer is in consistency with your other answers. you are contradicting yourself.
4. ara is against pre-marital sex. knowing her past roles and history, that’s her take, we cannot argue on that. she learned her lesson as she matured. she did a mistake before ABOUT her views, now she’s changed. kahit ang mga dalagang ina nga diba, hindi nila nais na maging dalagang ina rin ang kanilang mga anak. so let’s respect her views now. her struggle to find the words to support her answer is reasonable. it’s a deep issue about her persona to be linked with politics, kaya sya natataranta. she’s not a fast thinker, everybody knows that, but she can learn to be sharp given the chance.
5. VFA… she doesn’t know it’s an acronym for visiting forces agreement. kahit ako, hindi ko un alam. ang rinig ko nga DFA, lolz! hindi naman ito battle of the brains for you to know everything diba. so i understand if she doesn’t know it. even some folks would give you a shrug once asked about it. truth is, you can see how ordinary she is, she’s not exceptional. but who knows, she might do big things someday?
6. ara is against the ANTI-pornography bill… it works as double negative so it means she wants pornography. and because we ruled out the English proficiency and fast-thinker points, then we can excuse here on this. nalito lang siguro sya sa bilis ng pagsasalita ni Mo.
CONCLUSION: she is not proficient when it comes to laws. she does not feed her mind with news. she does not know anything about the world around her, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care.
she may not be intelligent enough, and she might be contradicting in all her answers, but even miriam santiago with a high level of intellect contradicts and denies her previous statements.
i am not pro-ara, neither am i against her. i am just stating facts that all of you guys might have overlooked.
i know lots of people who earned their degrees and phd in the phils and abroad, they got high seats in the government.. but did they take this country anywhere?
may alam, walang alam.. matalino, hindi matalino. may experience, walang experience… parehas lang ang mangyayari sa bansang ito. wala sa politiko or sa nakaupo sa pwesto ang pagbabagong hinahangad natin. nasa ating mga sarili ito mismo.
if you want this god-forsaken country to go somewhere, then start the change within you. tama na ang panlalait. it doesn’t help.
be constructive…