26/03/2022
SCENES FROM THE MOTORCADE
Woke up at 3am today, whispered a quick goodbye to my sleeping son and husband, and soon I was traveling with my Kuya from Manila to Pura, Tarlac. We got there at 6:20am. In a few minutes we were climbing onto the back of a pickup truck with Joanna and our younger brother Carlo. Today is the official start of the campaign season. And we came to support our brother, who is running for Mayor of Pura.
Carlo had to think long and hard about whether to run. There was another life beckoning to him--a more peaceful life, full of opportunities. The truth is, hindi niya kailangan tumakbo. But he decided to because he has always had dreams for Pura, ever since he was young. Balik siya ng balik, even when he isn't acting as a public servant (people who only know him in Manila or Tarlac City do not realize my brother has a completely different life in Pura, worrying over crops, searching for sturdier species of rice and sugarcane and ways to improve irrigation/ harvesting, and that he has hung out in practically every household across the barangays--he's not some guy who comes out of nowhere, he's actually a part of life there to the point of knowing everyday gossip and being invited to christenings, weddings and birthdays). It's a place full of memories--not just ours, but our father and grandparents too. We have deep, deep roots here, and people have known us ever since we were in diapers (I was baptized in Pura). We owe a lot to this land and the people. It's a story that goes back generations.
My brother Carlo is running as an independent. What this means is that his campaign will be a team effort between family, friends, and people who believe in him (some not even from Pura, but from the neighboring municipalities). It was family and friends who stayed up late nights to plan and organize a motorcade to mark the start of his campaign, make the streamers, design and produce the shirts/posters/masks/ etc., take care that everyone had food and drink, and so many other details. It started out small, then more and more people wanted to help. And this morning it was amazing to see the long line of tricycle drivers (representing the various barangays), the young people on motorcycles, the cars full of those who wanted to come and show their support. Thank you❤️
We came across some of the other candidates. Everyone greeted each other cheerfully, wished each other well, went on their way. This is deep in the country, and everyone's lives are closely intertwined.
As the motorcade wound through the 16 barangays in the early morning, through narrow streets between homes and bamboo trees and across farmland under big blue skies, we said good morning to the farmers, the mothers and fathers taking their children to school, to all the hardworking people who get up before dawn every day to work and sweat and dream of a better life for their families. My brother wants to put that life within their reach. Better healthcare, better education, agricultural support, a clean government where no one steals the money from the pockets of honest, hardworking people. Because they DESERVE that. It is their basic right.
By around 5pm I was back in Manila, back to work, back to my husband and son. But part of me was still back in Pura, grateful for the day, for family that always, always shows up, for friends that surprise you with help when you need it.
Vote wisely po.
Vote to change your lives for the better.
Panahon na.
*thank you tita Heide Ugay for the edited video, and to Mina, Jen, Kuya and Joe for some of the photos and videos❤️
