WHAT seems to be the overwhelming clamor of concerned Filipinos at the moment is for our country’s electorate to forge a new attitude towards politics. This is a need that has been building up since the last decade of the 20th century when the ascendant educated young middle and lower middle level citizenry realized they would never get a chance to rise to national leadership under an elitist two-party system democracy. Thus, the multi party system saw the light of day.

It was the product of the political frustration of the members of the Progressive Party of the Philippines (PPP) of the late senators Raul Manglapus, Manny Manahan, Emmanuel Pelaez, and some members of the House. PPP stalwarts had tried to run for president and vice president in the pre-martial law years but lost because the party was an extraneous political force in a country held captive and dominated by only two political parties, the Nacionalista and the Liberal.

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Since then, a changing political climate slowly evolved. This need for political reforms is gathering momentum under a freer and more socially open environment.

Suddenly, the long-sought political climate change has become highly possible and deeply palpable. Indeed, Sen. Chiz Escudero has just demonstrated my assertion at the national level.

There is a strong stirring, too, to forge a new norm of political behavior just like what the political movement “OUR Cebu City” only recently tried to seriously promote. Indeed, the emergence in Cebu a few days ago of OUR Cebu City tends to replicate Chiz’s feat. And possibly, another one might soon follow the long-rumored “Go Cebu” of political novice Georgia Osmeña.

OUR Cebu City and Go Cebu would then be among the new small factional groups that the multiparty system propelled, joining the others like the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) and Kugi Uswag Sugbo (KUSOG) that developed under a free-wheeling new political climate.

The term “our,” so said the Atan Guardo-Mary Ann de los Santos combine, is an acronym for opportunity, unity, and reform. If you go by the broader meaning of the words against the backdrop of our current political circumstances, I would say it is very apt, similar to what Ms. Osmeña has also been saying. Perhaps the two groups could merge, after all they share the same goals of doing away with “the politics of hate, division, and arrogance” and superimposing a new politics of civility and unity.”

Cebu’s old political players should not underestimate the drawing power of the “party-less” political groups. I think they are capable of springing a surprise.