Unlike in her previous defeats in electoral contests in Laguna, the actor-comedian known as “Miss Flawless” now sees no need to cry a river.”It’s impractical to cry anymore. What for? At least I know my constituents love me,” Angelica Jones, now 39, said in Filipino shortly after the May polls.“I won’t let politics ruin my beauty. It’s better that I am still beautiful while helping people,” said Jones, who popularized the novelty songs “Otso Otso” in 2004 and “Miss Flawless” in 2005.

Angelica Banaag Alarva in real life, the show biz personality-turned-politician was among the scores of entertainment celebrities who sought public office in the recent elections. She lost to Loreto “Ambien” Amante in the congressional race in the third district of Laguna.

As a candidate of Promdi, she garnered 68,044 votes against Amante’s 197,324, per the count of the Commission on Elections.

Political comeback

In the 2019 polls, Jones topped the third-district race for seats in the provincial board, running under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. The district covers San Pablo City and the towns of Alaminos, Calauan, Liliw, Nagcarlan, Rizal and Victoria. 

It was considered a political comeback for Jones, who failed in her run for vice governor of Laguna in 2016 and for a board seat representing the second district in 2007 as a candidate of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino. 

One media report quoted her as blaming the 2007 defeat on the party’s “failure to provide her with watchers to guard her votes.” In another report, however, it was seen as a case of “name conflict” as she had used her screen name Angelica Jones instead of her real family name Alarva, which was more known in San Pablo. 

She transferred residence a year later from the second district to the city.

In 2010, Jones won a board seat in the third district, running under the Nacionalista Party, and again in 2013, but at that time as a United Nationalist Alliance candidate.

After regaining her seat in 2019, Jones said in an ABS-CBN News report in Filipino: “Nowadays, voters have become wiser. It’s not enough that you’re just a celebrity or you just have money. What I see here now is if the people love you, love them back and do good programs.”

When she did not gain enough votes to win in 2007 and 2016, she was caught sobbing on-cam in an interview about her political debacles.

Related: May 2022 vote rigged from the start, retired general, others say

Shifting roles

Before her shift from entertainment to public service, Jones rose to celebrity status as a sexy performer singing “Miss Flawless” in an ABS-CBN noontime show. She starred in such films as “Mr. Suave (2003),” “Lagot Ka Sa Kuya Ko (2006)” and “Enteng Kabisote 3: Okay Ka, Fairy Ko: The Legend Goes On and On and On (2006).”

Her television stints involved such shows as “That’s Entertainment” (1992-1996), “Magandang Tanghali Bayan” (1998-2005), “Basta’t Kasama Kita” (2003-2004), “Chow Time Na!” (2004-2006), “La Vendetta” (2007), and “Conan, My Beautician” (2016).

At the moment, Jones is not planning another run for public office in the near future, according to her mother, Beth.

“Angie will continue her bakeshop business, pursue her show biz career if the right offers come along, and take care of her son,” said Beth, referring to Angelo Timothy Benedict Alday, Jones’ child with former beau Gerald Alday, a politician from Batangas.

‘Not done yet’

Her loss notwithstanding, life goes on for Jones.

“It’s not only in politics that one can help one’s fellow men,” she said in Filipino, “but show biz is also a world where I can extend my altruism.”

“I can still give support to my constituents in Laguna,” she said. “The trouble is, it was a seat in Congress that I ran for and therefore, I missed involving myself in lawmaking.” 

Her parting words: “Life isn’t done yet. There are still many things in store for me and my province mates.”

Boy Villasanta writes an entertainment column for the OpinYon weeklies (http://opinyon.net). CoverStory contributed other information to this article. —Ed.