Ejica bet shows how to win without money

BY LIAM ANACLETO

SAN JOSE CITY – A city councilor here nicknamed “wowowee” was elected as provincial board member last elections with hardly any campaign materials, considered as no-no in a country where such stuff is as important as the candidate himself.

Outgoing, three-term city councilor Joseph “Wowowee” Ortiz, a party mate, of Gov. Aurelio Umali and Mayor Marivic Violago- Belena, won a seat in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan after obtaining 71, 630 votes.

He is now one of two board members from the second congressional district.

What made Ortiz’s victory remarkable was that he did not distribute any campaign materials.

He had no stickers, streamers, posters, t-shirts, caps, umbrellas, calendars, watchers and campaign jingles – stuff that normally promote but hardly ensure the victory of a candidate, particularly in Nueva Ecija where the campaign is personally –oriented.

Ortiz was the only Lakas-CMD candidate among the 10 newly elected board members. The rest were campaign members of the Joson-led Kabalikat ng MAlayang Pilipino – Bagon Lakas ng Nueva Ecija (Kampi – Balane).

What Ortiz simply gave out during the campaign was a four-page 4 x 3 inch flyer containing a personal letter appealing to his province mates, his personal credentials, awards, commendations and citations received among others.

Ortiz said he wanted to promote a new kind of politics in Nueva Ecija where voters elect leaders on the basis of their personal background, competence and experience. “It’s a brand of politics where the rich and the poor are on equal footing,” he said.

He said winning candidates should focus their energy on livelihood programs since “this is the answer to poverty in the countryside and the vehicle for progress.”