A ‘psycho’ for president?

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza

BAGUIO CITY -- Once in a blue moon, we come across people locked inside their dreams. In 2010, I asked a friend: “Pare, are you running this election?” His answer was: “Hanak py nga agu-uyong padli” (I am not yet crazy). That same year, I was having small talk with the guards of the Commission on Elections office in Baguio when an unassuming guy walked by saying he was going to file his COC for Baguio congressman. Curious, I walked behind him to the Baguio receiving table and watched him submit his COC.

Some Comelec personnel who were aware of the unusual situation were now amused and became nosy as we listened to his dialog with another COC filer, who incidentally was another “psycho” who wanted to grab the mayor’s seat. He said,“brod, parehas pala tayong independent. Ako alam ko mananalo tayo” (brod, so we are both independent candidates. I know we will win).

I inspected the man’s COC and saw how competent he was in filling up the form. There was nothing wrong with it except that he was not nominated by any political party. I caught up with him and introduced myself as a newsman and he gladly opened up for an interview. He claimed he is an artist, a scientist and an inventor. He told me he had invented a five-stringed guitar with the sound of a flute.

I wanted to find out if he was aware of the situation in Baguio. His answer: traffic jams and garbage. He continued on saying government should “look for parking spaces around mountains outside the city. Tourists are the ones who cause traffic, and if there are parking spaces outside, they can park there so that their cars will no longer enter the city.

On the garbage issue, he said that as a scientist he knew that once a biodegradable material touches the ground, it starts to decompose and turns into soil. He said there is no longer the need for an open pit. Before we parted, he asked if I was going to vote for him. I was not prepared to answer his question but I smiled and nodded as a form of response.

Presidents we will never have

Aside from four leading contenders in the race for Malacanang that includes senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Grace Poe, interior and local government Sec. Manuel Roxas II, and Vice President Jojo Binay, (not necessarily winning in that order); the weird and strange to the outrageous with a total of 126 filed their candidacies for president in festive mood at the Comelec central office in Intramuros, Manila. A record breaker since 2010 where only 110 hopefuls filed their certificates.

Comelec announced the final list of candidates who filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) from October 12 to October 16 with 130 running for president, 19 for vice president, and 172 for senator. On social media, the Comelec said, this only shows the kind of democracy we have in the Philippines. Also, that we benefit from a law with loose requirements for the highest position in the land.

The Philippine Constitution states: “No person may be elected President unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least 40 years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years immediately preceding such election.”

Lawmakers belonging to the reform bloc in congress, including Sen. Miriam, want stricter requirements for a presidential candidate, senator, congressman and governor such as graduating or attending college for at least four years but the proposals were shelved.

Elusive dreamers.

In last month’s week-long “fiesta” at the Comelec, presidential candidate Romeo John Ygonia of Baguio who calls himself “Archangel Lucifer” claims his candidacy is backed by Jesus Christ and was chosen by his master to lead the Philippines. Meanwhile, farmer Alfredo Tindugan declared that as president he would push for a “divine government”.

Another bet said he will legalize the four seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall in tropical Philippines, while Romeo Plasquita, a retired policeman said he filed his COC because he will push for retired policemen’s benefits since he has not received his retirement money and government pension even after leaving the service five years ago. He will push for “tuwid na daan para sa PNP” to fight corruption in the PNP. 

Pierre Pardo, a volunteer feeder for street children said her administration will focus on education, health, and home improvement while presidential candidate Rodrigo Lapitan castigated PNoy’s “daang matuwid” saying hundreds of poor streetchildren sleep on roadsides and do not have food, light, water and comfort rooms.

PMA graduate Class ’79 and book author Rodolfo Indoctivo who filed his COC for president explained no president past and present has identified the actual problems of the country today and has recommended solutions, while chemical engineer and senatorial aspirant Victor Quijano declared his platform to introduce a federal system of government in the Philippines where a devolution of powers would take place, leaving the national government responsible for national security and foreign policy.

Like anybody who wants a better future for this country, these are persons locked inside their elusive dreams. People call them “insane, adasayadna, psycho,” but to many, they are competent and know what they are talking about. There are people who want to lead us, but they are not what we fight for during elections.

They represent the best Presidents, vice presidents, senators, congressmen, governors, vice governors, board members, mayors, and councilors that the Philippines will never have. While most voters do not take them seriously, some of the so-called “nuisance” candidates have platforms that actually make sense. Now will the real sane candidate please stand up to be recognized?