It’s what she stands for

Has it been that long? I didn’t notice time slip by. I remember queuing along a lengthy line of mourners which curved from the Palasyo to the road outside. I remember having a hard time looking for yellow colored slippers because we were told we would be wearing them in the march. Those were fond times of solidarity. Had it not been for the masseurs with visual impairment whom I overheard talking about confirming the exact date of the death anniversary while my back was being crushed with bare hands on a massage bed, I would not have remembered. How could I have let the thought slip along with life’s changes? That was indeed August. Never have I been so distraught on hearing the news of a politician’s death. I mean, we would hear of a mayor or a governor dying of some sickness or getting ambushed, and those type of headlines become somewhat common after some time. But hearing it over the radio while holding on handle bars while standing inside a bus, quickly brought me down. Stretching the borders of realistic, I wished that he was washed ashore on some desert island like in the movies. Never have I witnessed such outpouring of sympathy and support, of shared sorrow and heartbreak. Whoa, it has been twelve years.

Sure, maybe a few people may have some negative things to say about Mayor/DILG Secretary Jess, but the positive impact overwhelmingly far overshadow those few little grudges. The guy was larger than life. Interestingly, he came to that by laying low on the walk of life. I mean, he was the guy on shirt, shorts and slippers, walking or biking around. He was the guy who was manually shoveling the mud off the city’s main streets after a torrential typhoon. He was the guy who sweat it out with the men along the streets on the feast come September. It just occurred to me that the day of his passing is three days apart from that of Ninoy Aquino whom we could thank for a holiday from work this week. Then, both their widows who were both non-participants in politics before their husband’s deaths were quickly boosted into public service with massive support. Both widows are also noted for their simplicity and endearment to modest folk. So, does that mean JILLIAN Robredo follows the path of Kris Aquino? Okay, maybe the similarities end at some point.

Then, it dawned on me that this recollection comes ahead of the campaign season which would be

Ramping up sooner than we think. Views and thoughts pass by to and fro like shoppers in a market. There have been questions on which position she really aiming to run for. Is it a national position? Is it the Capitol? Why does she jump voter registrations? Is it simply political convenience?

Why run at all? She has served and she has served well. Maybe, that was enough. Maybe, she has served her tenure; and now is time to retire out of the political limelight. Is not that what most presidential candidates who had not fared well in the race do after elections? They go to private practice. Some may write their memoirs. Some may retire in their secluded ranch.

Word buzzes on the streets and sometimes on the airwaves. Why shoehorn herself into City Hall? They say, “is not Naga already stable?”. Why not leave it be? Some would say, “if she is the solution, is there a problem?”. They may say, “maybe the issues that necessitate for her being in position are all but contrived”.

But, on the other hand, people seem to silently anticipate it as a beacon of hope. I spent some time in a certain local public utility institution and personnel share a steady wave of expectation of better days. A man with profound passion told me that Naga has to remind itself of the reason why the city rose in progress in the first place. He told me that Naga has to return to the socio-political climate in which citizens are empowered to advance themselves, and not depend on the government for relief. Public service, he continues, ought to return to the system in which government governs to capacitate and not to make citizens its contingents. He places confidence in Ma’am Leni’s potential leadership on the basis of the integrity that she backs herself up with.

What I find remarkable is from the people I gather this, they would often use the term, “pagbalik”, when Ma’am Leni herself has not held position in City Hall before. Then, I thought, it’s not really the person. It’s the culture of service that she represents, the integrity that she stands for, that she shares with her late husband, and the whole city that served with them.

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” - 2 Timothy 2:2