In a field of more than five dozen candidates for senators, it is hard to distinguish senatoriables from among each other. At a time when the focus of traditional and new media are the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, the majority of the electorate are left largely with familiarity as basis in choosing their 12 bets. This trend is manifested in latest survey results, which has consistently showed re-electionists, former senators, and scions of established political families as the most probable winners of the senatorial elections.

In an interview with BlogWatch a few weeks ago, I asked Makabayan senatorial candidates Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza what would make any other voter vote for them, when the convenient choice is to pick the familiar names? What distinguishes them from the rest of the pack? In a field where all candidates promise education, health and employment for all, what can they claim to have experienced, have done and are willing to do that no other senatorial candidate can claim?

CHARACTER
Only Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza have experienced harassment, incarceration and torture in their fight against corruption and abuse in government from the Marcos regime to the Arroyo administration. Others claim to have fought and are fighting for good government, but almost none of them were incarcerated or tortured, for they never genuinely posed a threat to corrupt rulers. Some politicians bravely lash at abuses in government in front of TV cameras, but are cowed and silenced at the threat of dispersal on the streets, or harassment from the powers-that-be. I am sure that Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza will never surrender their fight for good and honest governance.

Only Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza genuinely came from the ranks of the masses and continue to maintain very simple lifestyles despite being congressmen for almost a decade. In fact, they are consistently listed as among the poorest congressmen in terms of material wealth. Satur Ocampo came from a peasant family in Pampanga, and was once a student leader and a journalist. Liza Maza came from a simple middle class family from Laguna and was once a teacher and a government employee. Both of them were scholars of state funded universities. None of them own extravagant cars, nor live in large houses. Other senatoriables claim to be pro-poor, but they never genuinely understand what it feels like to be poor, not when they live in marble mansions, and are chauffeured in expensive SUV’s.

Read the rest of this entry »