Taking a break

After the elections of 2004, I began to write for Malaya, at the same thrice-a-week frequency. I also write twice a week for its sister publication, Abante.

In the aftermath of Ping Lacson’s announcement that he would not stand for Manila mayor and instead pursue re-election to the Senate, I decided to test my luck at electoral office.

I have been a resident of Manila since I was five and a half years old. We moved from rented apartments or houses in Tondo to Sampaloc, then Sta. Cruz, back to Sampaloc, then briefly to Sta. Ana, before we were able to buy, just when I was in college, 540 square meters and an old house in genteel Malate, two blocks off both La Salle and St. Scholastica’s. When I married, my mother gave me the property. We have raised three kids in the same house, since remodeled, and my two-year-old grandson lives in the same residence. I registered as a voter in Manila from the first time I was of age. I moved my voter registry to San Pablo City where my paternal roots are, and voted there twice in the 80’s, but have since returned my voting record in Manila.

Even when I was in government service, as postmaster general of the Bureau of Posts, as general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority, and as presidential political adviser, I had always held office in the City of Manila.

I know its nooks and crannies, the idiosyncracies of city life as a Manileno. Ask me where to eat what in which restaurant, posh or cheap, for as long as it is in Manila, I can give you the right answer.

First I sought, at the beginning of February this year, a run for congressman representing the fifth district. Before this, I did an awareness survey where my numbers were not too far behind Manila’s traditional politicians. The pollster explained that the awareness was not as a local politician, but as someone the public would once in a while see on television or hear on radio, speaking for Lacson, or for Erap. I began to introduce myself to the residents of its poorer barangays, in Paco, Baseco, Singalong and San Andres Bukid.

On February 15, Senator Fred Lim and I conferred over breakfast at Diamond Hotel’s coffee shop, in the presence of my good friend Nixon Kua, a columnist of Pilipino Star, and my successor at the Philippine Tourism Authority. After half an hour of political talk, the candid Fred asked me to either be his vice-mayoralty running-mate or run as his congressional candidate in Manila’s fifth district. I chose to run for vice-mayor, cognizant of the survey findings that my awareness was more national than local. That survey also showed that more of the urban poor recognized me than those of Manila’s dwindling elite and upper middle class.

I thus switched my campaign to cover bigger territory, and focused again on the poorest areas – Parola in both districts 1 and 3, the North Bay area in Tondo, the City Jail warrens of Sta. Cruz, the railroad tracks, the sides of esteros and the Pasig. No place was dirty enough or smelly enough. No hovel was too poor. Every hand to shake was alright, never mind the grime of a mechanic or driver’s hand, or the smell of a fishmonger’s palms, or those who peeled garlic cloves for a living. I was seeing the naked face of poverty at its worst. There were times when tears would well in my eyes when I listened to poor people’s tales of woe. How could society allow such dehumanizing poverty, I thought? And deep inside, I wanted to help make some difference, provide some window of opportunity, offer some hope.

In the first week of March, Senator Lim and I, along with Senator Maceda, listened to a briefing from Pulse Asia’s Prof. Pepe Miranda. They did a Manila-wide survey on February 10-12. Lim was ahead of Ali, but it would be to his advantage to narrow down the field of competitors. Any opposition candidate who dropped out of the mayoralty race was a vote gain for Lim. There were three – Lacuna of the sixth, Hizon of the 5th, Bacani of the 4th. Prior to Miranda’s lecture, Fred Lim thought it was a case of the more, the merrier.

I sensed Pepe Miranda’s findings when I moved around the city. Lim was strongest in his native Tondo, which comprises two districts, but there was considerable voter resistance in the other districts.

Last Thursday, a later privately-commissioned survey was shown to me. The field research was very, very recent – March 15 to 20. But for the now increased numbers and less undecided voters, Miranda’s earlier advice was correct. Lim had to narrow down the competition, and Ali Atienza was gaining by the multiplicity of candidates. For my part, my improvement from virtual unknown was quite fast, but there was too much ground to cover, and time was not on my side.

On Friday, I offered to withdraw as vice-mayoralty candidate in favor of last-term congressman Joey Hizon, who was himself seeking the mayoralty post. The offer was intimated to close political associates of Hizon, as well as to President Estrada and Senator Lim.

On Saturday evening, Senator Lim informed me that there were snags in his talks with the political associate of Rep. Hizon, and he had instead chosen Marissa Papa, a barangay chair and vice-president of Manila’s barangay league, as his running mate.

On Sunday morning, Lim had announced his choice, and I for my part had informed those in media, including Malaya’s Gerard Naval, that I had withdrawn my bid for the vice-mayoralty post. Thus ended my first serious electoral quest.

I shall take a breather from writing columns for a few weeks. I want to take some time to smell the flowers, to soak in the summer sun, to savor the ocean breezes, as rare and precious as they may be these days. In between the fever of the political season, of course.