This semester, I am taking a course called "Running for Office and Managing Campaigns." It is being taught by a professional campaign manager/consultant who has been in the "business" for about 29 years. He is, to say the least, a character. I have never talked to him one-on-one but, from the way he delivers his lectures, I guess I could say that his personality suits his chose profession.
Anyway, the first writing assignment for the class was to think about why politics, running for office, or working for a campaign is important to me. Basically, it required some a bit of introspection and self-assessment. It was the easiest paper for me to write--I worked on it two hours before it was due--and I also found it to be one of the most satsfying writing exercises I had to do in a while.
Here are some excerpts. Consider this as a rather late posting commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the People Power/EDSA Revolution (February 25).
August 1983. I was seven years old when I had what I would consider my political
awakening. Philippines senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino, after three years of
exile in the U.S., was gunned down on a tarmac in Manila on his homecoming as
he was escorted off his plane. Despite the threats on his life, Aquino still chose to go home in order to face then president Ferdinand Marcos and do whatever it takes to return the country back into democracy. I had no awareness who Aquino was before his assassination but that
tragic event sparked something in me and it surely served as the impetus for
all the events that led to Marcos’s ouster in 1986. Aquino’s funeral was
attended by millions of people. I watched the procession on TV with my family
wishing I could be out there on the streets.
That evening, I drew what was probably my first editorial cartoon. There was Marcos
turned away from Aquino’s grave and with a shocked look on his face upon
hearing Aquino’s declaration from beyond the grave, “I hate Marcos.” Hate. It was
a pretty strong word to use. But I remember asking my mom what the opposite of
love was. Hate. I thought, “That’s what Ninoy and his family and the people on
the streets must be feeling towards Marcos.” I had an opinion and I picked a
side. This early experience and highly charged political environment would
strongly influence how I viewed politics.
Growing
up in the Philippines, I have had my fair share of flawed political leaders.
And despite all the good intentions that went into its creation and re-creation
(but more like patched up here and there), we still have a very flawed political
system. With such a combination, the Filipino people found creative ways to
place and remove leaders in office. We have a few coup d’états to our
name, the most well known being the People Power Revolution, that unseated a
couple of presidents. Needless to say, my generation grew up in a time where
there was renewed hope in democracy but a lot of distrust in the system. I
developed an ambivalent attitude towards the election process—I was excited to
participate and vote in elections, local and national, but was frustrated with
the selection of candidates who thought themselves worthy to present themselves
as our representatives. [...]
In 2006, I finally was able to talk myself out
of my cynicism and decided that if I really wanted to know what government work
was like I should learn it from the inside. So, back home in Manila, I applied
for a position with the national economic planning and development office. I
even took the civil service exam and passed. During one interview, where a
panel of five people sat around the table, they asked me question that were
supposed to make me think twice about the job. Among them: Have you ever been
humiliated by your boss in front of other people? Have you ever had things
thrown at you? How willing are you to compromise your principles? All these
questions referred to the current president’s work style, to whom their office
directly reports to. Although highly qualified, they did not think I would fit
in. [...]
Would
I ever run for office myself? Should I? I do not see why I should not seriously
consider it. If it should come to that, I doubt that ambition would be the main
driver but rather because I believe that nobody else could do the job better
than I could. I realize that the decision to run for public office is not an easy
thing. Although I am not aiming for martyrdom, I always think about what Ninoy
said about the possible consequences of his actions: “The Filipino is worth
dying for.” It underlines the fact that genuine public service requires putting
the interest of the people you serve ahead of your own.
And
just like rallying for any cause or issue that I believe in, supporting and
campaigning for a candidate that supports the same causes and issues is the next
best thing to being up there myself. My good intentions will only go so far by
just sitting and observing (and complaining) in the sidelines. So whether I
will ever be the candidate or work for a candidate aspiring for public office,
if I want to see change, I know I need to act and do my part.
Twenty-five years from Ninoy's death and 23 years from EDSA, where do we find ourselves as a nation of Filipinos? And where do I find myself as a product of those times? We do not need to be martyrs like Ninoy. Grab your tool of choice and look for every opportunity to make a difference.The worst we could do is to just stand aside and do nothing.
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