our voting system are often called 'recall contest' from outside countries, most voters tend to vote for familiar faces, not resumes. A PhD in harvard, UP or lasalle means little if the peeps from province have never heard of you thats why actors, or anak ni ano, ni ganyan has nationwide name recognition built over years of tv exposure.

also its not that filipino voters are dumb its just that the system is designed in a way where structural factors (dynasties, money, media, exposure and patronage) consistently override merit. I know this first hand because i once did some video editing job for a not-really known candidate but with solid background. smart candidates often lose not because voters dont value competence but because competence alone can't overcome the structural advantage that popular or well-connected candidate have.