Roly’s elusive dream

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March Fianza

In the past, I asked a friend: “Pare, agtaray ka tadta nga election?” (Pare, are you running this election?) His answer was: “Hanak py nga agkatok” (I am not yet crazy).

It is not so often that I come across people locked inside their dreams although I am aware that there are plenty of them around. Last Wednesday afternoon, I was chatting with the guards at the gate of the Comelec regional office in Baguio when an unassuming guy walked by saying he was going to file his certificate of candidacy (COC). Of course my immediate reaction would be to ask the guards if they knew the person. And their answer was that the man was in the Comelec office yesterday and wanted to file his COC for Senator of the Philippines. 

He also told the guards, he was waiting for Kris Aquino who he claims is supportive of his candidacy for senator. He came back but this time he had with him a COC for Baguio Representative, after he was told by the guards that if he were to file for “senator,” he would have to motor down to Manila to submit his COC.

With curiosity as my guide, I trailed the guy down to the Baguio receiving table and watched him hand over his certificate to the person in charge of receiving the COC. Amazingly, as if by coincidence, Roly chanced upon another unsuspecting candidate by the name of Jeffrey B. Pinic who filed his COC for Independent vice mayor, practically running against incumbent vice mayor Daniel Farinas. The vice mayoralty candidate told me later that he was supportive of the special projects of mayor Domogan, but I was not able to ask him what those special projects were.

Some Comelec personnel who were aware of the weird situation were now amused as we all eavesdropped and listened to the couple’s conversation. Roly said, “brod, parehas pala tayong independent. Ako alam ko mananalo ako dito” (brod, so we are both independent candidates. I know I will win here). Jeffrey answered: “Ako rin, mananalo ako basta magsuportahan tayo” (me too, I will win as long as we support each other). The two exchanged cell phone numbers and shook hands before they parted ways.

I inspected Roly’s COC and saw that it was filled up by a competent person. There was nothing wrong with it except that he was not nominated by any political party; hence, he was running as an independent congressional candidate for Baguio. I caught up with the candidate outside the door of the Comelec, introduced myself as a news columnist and he gladly opened up for an interview. Roly who spells his name with a single letter “L” claimed he is an artist, a scientist and an inventor. He told me he had invented a five-stringed guitar that when its strings were struck, the sound of a flute is heard in combination. He said he is a BS Criminology graduate and has worked as a traffic enforcer in Manila.

The following is the one on one interview with “future congressman” Roly.

Question 01: Sinu ti amum nga napigsa a makalaban mu para congressman? (who do you think is your strongest opponent for congressman?) Answer: Malakas na kalaban ko si Vergara… traditional politician pero kaibigan ko siya(Vergara is a strong opponent… traditional politician but he is my friend).

Question 02: Kabsat, enya met ngay ti priority nga aramidem nu mangabak ka nga congressman? (Brother, what would be your priority in case you win as congressman?) Answer: Ah, ti umuna masapol agbalin tayo amin nga Godly, before nga masolbar tayo ti problema ti Baguio (Ah, first we all have to become Godly before we can solve Baguio’s problems).

I wanted to find out if “Congressman Roly” was conscious of the situation in Baguio so I asked him Question 03:Anya dagita nga problema ti Baguio? (What are the problems of Baguio?) Answer: syempre number one traffic, number two basura (of course number one is traffic, number two is garbage). He continued explaining his answer: Maghanap tayo ng parking space. Maraming bundok na gawin parking space. Ang nagpapatrafik ay yung mga turista. Kung may parking sa bundok, dun na lang sila magpark para huwag na pumasok ang sasakyan sa city (Let us look for parking space. There are many mountains that can become parking space. Tourists are the ones who cause traffic. If we have parking spaces in the mountains, they can park there so that their cars will no longer enter the city).

He also gave an observation saying, “at saka bawal talaga magpark sa kalsada kasi ang kalsada takbuhan ng sasakyan, hind paradahan” (also, it is wrong to park on road because roads are for running cars, not for parking). 

He further acknowledged the efforts of Domogan and Vergara whom he said are “sacrificing for the welfare of the people,” even as he criticized the construction of an overpass beside a pedestrian lane and an intersection. “Gumawa pa sila ng overpass sa tabi ng pedestrian at crossing… mali yun… expensive yun,” he said.

With regards to garbage, he would like to suggest that once elected into office, the non-biodegradable material from households be bought by the government per kilo who would in turn sell them to businessmen, while the biodegradable ones can immediately be delivered to the farms that need organic fertilizer. He said that as a scientist he knew that once a biodegradable material touches the soil, it starts to decompose and turn into soil. “Hindi na kailangan ang open pit, idikit mo lang sa lupa yung nabubulok, magiging lupa din.” What I heard was 

like a simple analogy of the quote “from dust you came, so to dust you go.”

As he said goodbye he asked if I was going to vote for him. I admit that I was not prepared to answer his question but I smiled and nodded to give him my response, at least. As I headed for home, I knew that Roly, like anybody else who wanted a better future for this city, is just another person locked inside his elusive dream. People regard them as “insane,ada sayad na, psychopath,” but Roly to me was competent and knew what he was saying on that day. These are people we want to run our city, but they are not what we fight for during elections. To be congressman of Baguio was Roly’s elusive dream but Roly was Baguio’s elusive congressman. His kind represent the best congressmen, mayors, and councilors that Baguio will never have. Now will the real sane candidate please stand up to be recognized? –marchfianza777@yahoo.com