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Thursday, February 05, 2004
Malig: Dissecting Mark Lapid
By Jun A. Malig
“PILAN ne waring banua ing Mark a yan? Nanu nang katungkulan ing atalan na? (How old is that Mark anyway? What position was he able to hold?),” asked one of my elderly relatives during a wake for my late uncle in Barangay Dau in Mabalacat early last month.
When at least two of my other relatives answered they do not know anything about Mark Lapid, except that he is the son of Gov. Lito Lapid, I felt obliged to tell them what I knew about Mark. Anyway, the topic that night was about politics and it is part of my job to know about current issues, governmental matters, and politics.
As we were taking turns in sipping our respective hot cups of coffee, I told them that Mark, who is a former Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman in one of Porac’s villages and later became the SK Federation chairman in Pampanga, is just 24 years old. I said he was elected as barangay captain in Porac and is currently the chairman of the provincial chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay.
“Obat sasabyan da board member ya? (Why do they say he is a board member?),” asked an uncle from a not-so-distant rural village in Mabalacat. I said Mark serves as ex officio (by virtue of the office) member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan because the Local Government Code of 1991 gives duly elected presidents of League of Barangays the authority to represent the league in the town, city or provincial legislative bodies.
“Katnamu governor nang tambing ing tatagalan na, kaynakan napa pala? (How come he is already running for governor, considering that he is still young?),” asked another uncle after consuming his cup of coffee. It took me several seconds to respond to the question. I thought about Mark’s reply when I asked him the same question many months ago — that they say the youths are the hope of the country. But since I did not take Mark’s answer as the real reason for his political decision, I opted to just state my personal opinion.
I told them that Lito Lapid’s heart would always be on the gubernatorial post, as the actor-governor repeatedly stated in the past. I said although Lito Lapid had agreed to run for senator under the ruling Lakas-CMD, reportedly upon the prodding of President Arroyo, he would still choose to return to the provincial capitol as the “father” of Pampanga. And to ensure his smooth return, he had to install someone who would temporarily hold the office while he is away. As much as Gov. Lito wants to seek re-election, pertinent laws prevent him from running for a fourth term, I said.
“Edi aliwa talaga i Mark ing makiburing tagal yang governor? I tatang namu yang makiburing tagal ya? (So Mark doesn’t really want to run for governor? His father is the one who wants him to run?),” a relative asked. I said Mark seems to be also serious in succeeding his father’s position, even for just one term, or two terms if Governor Lapid would be victorious enough to become a senator for six years. I said I believe that Mark’s political decision was actually his father’s decision. Lito’s advisers, I said, who usually do the technical and political analyses for the governor, probably conceptualized the idea of Mark’s ascendancy to the gubernatorial seat. How could they let the happy days to just end without a fight? And what could be happier than the day when Lito and Mark are both holding high elective positions? Surely, they would want the days of plenty to go on unabated.
“I Yeng Guiao kanu ing running mate nang Mark Lapid? Dapat ata mipalit la. I Yeng ing mag-governor, i Mark yang mag-vice governor? (Is Yeng Guiao really the
running mate of Mark Lapid? It seems they should change places. Yeng would be the governor, Mark would be the vice governor.),” commented someone in the crowd, whom I surmised to be also a basketball enthusiast. Some of those in our discussion circle also made remarks about Mark and Yeng. Someone even declared that he is certain that Yeng would be a more qualified governor than the young Lapid. When it became apparent that they were waiting for me to say something, I said in politics, qualification is not always the consideration. They all agreed.
I was not able to answer some queries about Mark. I did not know if he was a bright student with good academic records. I did not know if he was an exemplary SK and barangay chairman. I did not even know his accomplishments as a youth and barangay leader. But during the political discussion I became even more convinced that simple folk like my relatives really care about what kind of leaders Pampanga should have.
(February 5, 2004 issue)
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