How did celebrity endorsers affect outcome of 2019 polls?

Local and national elections can get pretty tight, so it's no surprise when candidates go the extra mile by meeting potential voters with celebrities in tow.

According to a report by Nelson Canlas on State of the Nation with Jessica Soho, several local candidates still lost the elections even after campaigning with famous personalities by their side.

Among them was Sharon Cuneta's brother Chet who lost in his bid for the Pasay mayoralty. Rommel Padilla, who was endorsed by his son Daniel and Kathryn Bernardo, lost his congressional bid in Nueva Ecija. Lito Lapid's son, Mark, was also unsuccessful in his mayoralty bid in Porac, Pampanga.

Political strategist Reli German says physical appearance leaves an impact on a voter. This was seen in local elections, where campaigns tend to be more intimate compared to those on the national level.

"Sa local level, mas ang feeling nila malapit sila doon sa mga kandidato o kaya sa mga celebrity. Dahil sa local level mas nakaka-ikot kasi ang mga kandidato eh puwede silang mag-house-to-house may panahon sila, may panahon sila makipag-selfie," he said.

"Ang laking bagay pa rin 'yung exposure on a daily basis. Si Lito Lapid, for instance, ang exposure (niya) ang laking bagay."

Nevertheless, German sees a change in the campaign strategy wherein voters are more critical about political candidates.

"Mukhang nag-iba na ngayon eh. May karapatan ka na ba ngayon mag-endorse, celebrity ka man o hindi? Kilala ka man o hindi. Ano ang karapatan mo? Ano ang background mo? Ano ang kakayahan mo para mag-endorse ng ibang tao? So in that way, positive na ito. Parang nag-iisip na ang mga tao," he said. — Margaret Claire Layug/BAP, GMA News