Take your pick: Tom Cruise, Richard Gere, Mariah Carey for senator

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9:04 pm | Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

A woman casts vote during the mock election at Epifanio de los Santos Elementary School in Manila with 100 days remaining before the 2013 midterm election.

MANILA, Philippines Would Filipinos vote for Tom Cruise, Richard Gere or Mariah Carey into the august Senate?

At least in the mock elections that the Commission on Elections conducted Saturday, Filipino voters got the chance to choose who among their Hollywood and celebrity favorites they will elect as senators.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the election watchdog used the names of Hollywood stars, instead of those of actual candidates, to avoid controversy.

In the dry run for the 2010 elections, the Comelec used the names of Filipino heroes. National hero Jose Rizal won that vote.

On a lighter note, Tom Cruise, Mariah Carey and (the late American astronaut) Neil Armstrong are among the senatorial candidates in the mock elections, Brillantes announced on his Twitter account.

A copy of the ballot for the mock elections showed Armstrong running under the leftist party-list group Bayan Muna, Carey under the Partido Magdiwang, and Tom Cruise under the Lakas-CMD.

The other choices for the voters included crooner Michael Bubl, under the Anakpawis peasant group, Cameron Diaz (Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino), and Paul Anka (under the rig! htist party-list group Anad).

Other celebrities listed as senatorial candidates were Bryan Adams, Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock, Nicholas Cage, Johnny Depp, Celine Dion, Farrah Fawcett, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster and Hugh Grant.

For partylist groups, the Comelec used the names of local rock bands like Itchyworms and 6 Cyclemind.

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Tags: 2013 elections , Comelec , Elections , mock elections , Politics

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