cherman norbie

election sa pinas. i want to be vigilant on who's in or out of the senatorial race, but no matter how hard i try to focus on reading news articles during lunch, i still find myself totally detached from all of it. i see a few familiar names, Gringo, Angara (who, btw, was endorsed by sarah! *lol*), Escudero, Arroyo, Sotto, Legarda. oh, and yes, Goma and Cesar Montano.

my papa, however, is a different story. he seem to have a direct line to comelec on what the latest tally is. he's always had this thing about politics. he remembers names and events... who flipped sides with whom, who was accused of what, who's on the senate hotseat, who arrested who for whatever reason. and not just that, he always HAVE an opinion on those matters too.

i'm guessing that being a politico runs in my papa's veins. but i don't remember anybody from the family ever running for a power position. tatay nestor was a respectable Kagawad during his prime years, but that's the farthest our family's political linkage goes. Sen.Biazon, btw, is my great grampa's cousin, but that's not the point, it's still not along my papa's lineage. =D

so many people in our barangay coaxes my papa to run for public office. Barangay Chairman Norbie. he has the makings, you know. well-known, reputable, man-of-action, approachable. the last one makes me nervous. approachable. not that i don't trust all our kabarangays (only most of them, most of the time), but holding an office and being approachable only equates to endless lists of to-give, to-do, and to-support things. gone are the days when Magsaysay wasn't taken advantage of because of his open-arms nature and sense of charity. and knowing my papa who has a soft spot for every single person he knows (or not) who had an unfortunate event befall on them, he will find it hard to say "No".

to some people who are desperate, a "No" usually means the person saying it is greedy, inhuman, selfish, inconsiderate. i don't want to hear people saying those things about my papa. after almost 50 years of his life, now is not the time to start collecting bad memories on how people looked at him. if you are a public figure, for every 10 person you said "Yes" to, just one "No", and that's what some people will remember about you.

i want to look at the positive side of things. the things he can do. the changes he can implement. the people he can help. the fulfillment of being able to serve in your own little way. but. it's just not tipping the scale for me to favor a candidacy.

i still believe in the innate goodness of mankind. i guess just not today. =P