The True Story

Or maybe not. But it paints both a grim and hopeful picture of politics in our town and in the Philippines in general.

Apparently, the people who gathered to support Ricky Sandoval were not hauled in by the mayoralty candidate himself. He didn't even file a formal election protest. People say he had accepted his defeat to incumbent Toby Tiangco and was only fighting for the candidacy of his brother, Alvin, who was running for congress.

The sad part about this is that people didn't go there out of principle and support. Heck, not even all of them are voters of Navotas. They say people who went there came from slum areas around Navotas like Tondo, Malabon and other parts of Manila. The protesters who came there in hopes of receiving free food were rallied by groups who wanted to make money out of the situation.

Akala ko masama na ang mga naghahakot na mga pulitiko na pinapangakuaan ng pera ang mga tao. Sa rally na yun, nagpunta ang mga tao dahil wala na silang makain at pinangakuan sila ng mga taong gusto silang pagkakitaan na papakainin sila ng ipaglalaban nilang kandidato.

The good part is that some politicians, although not exactly law-abiding, are compassionate and sensitive enough to know when the fight is over. The Sandoval camp, after sustaining the crowd overnight, dispersed them by paying each Php 300.00. Not exactly vote buying hehehe. In a sense, the good guy is Sandoval.

This is perhaps a snapshot of the answer to the link between economy and politics. Some of the poorest of our people engage in political activities not because they believe in them but because they are the only venues for them to find sustenance.

But looking at the victory of a priest against the wife of an alleged jueteng lord and an incumbent actor whose dad is a senator shows a different side of politics. Poor people can unite to fight for a cause they believe in, not for short term gratification, but for long term progress and change.

I hope we'll see more of the latter case in the future.