MANILA -- There's no formula for it, but two governors have shown that winning against scions of well-entrenched political clans on a platform of good governance can be done anywhere in the country.
"I've been asked a lot of times if this can be duplicated elsewhere. And my answer was, `Of course. I didn't start it. Grace Padaca did','' Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio said in a talk Friday night.
This parish priest captured the public’s imagination when he defeated two political giants -- then incumbent Gov. Mark Lapid and Lilia Pineda -- in the 2007 election for governor in President Macapagal-Arroyo's home province.
His phenomenal victory came three years after Padaca, a polio-stricken broadcast journalist, thrashed then incumbent Gov. Faustino Dy III in the gubernatorial election in Isabela, ending the Dy clan's 40-year-long reign. She won a second term in 2007 by defeating another scion of the Dy family.
The two governors spoke about their experiences at a forum organized by PAGASA, a spiritual-cultural movement with the goal of creating a better country, at the Philippine Education Theater Association theater in Quezon City.
PAGASA stands for People's Assembly for Genuine Alternatives to Social Apathy.
In their speeches, Panlilio and Padaca admitted they decided to run for office and challenge the well-entrenched incumbents because no one else wanted to do it.
"No one wanted to fight the ‘Dy_nasty’ in Isabela,'' said the 44-year-old Padaca. "There were some who dared, but because they were always overpowered anyway, they'd always lose.''
While they lacked a party and a well-oiled machinery to run a campaign, there was a groundswell of support from the people, who desperately sought a change in leadership.
It helped that he was a priest, and she a broadcaster on local radio for 14 years.
After Panlilio filed his certificate of candidacy, leaders from different faiths showed up at his campaign headquarters to offer support and work as volunteers, setting aside their religious differences.
"They saw in the crusade a sense of the divine. The campaign was not just about me, but about a dream of courageous Kapampangan for the kingdom of God, where the conscience of every person is guided toward fullness of life,'' he said.
Then came the youth, students, women, lawyers.
"I found I wasn't alone. I was joined by men and women of goodwill who were willing to take a risk,'' said Panlilio, 54, clad in his trademark white T-shirt, blue denim pants and sandals. "Ours was not just a moral crusade, it transformed itself into a divine crusade.''
Padaca, who barnstormed far-flung villages aboard a vehicle, related: "When they hear my voice, people would rush out of their homes to see me. So I was spared the difficulty of a house-to-house campaign. They were excited to see me.''
Surprisingly, money was never a problem for these two political neophytes. Strangers, students, young professionals, and even nuns, among others, showed up, offering cash donations, and other resources.
"A simple junkshop owner who also said he wanted change after 40 years let me use his car during the 45-day campaign, took care of the fuel needs, and asked his son to drive for me,'' Padaca said.
After winning the vote, the next logical step was to embark on a new campaign that "sells the idea of good governance and responsible citizenship,'' Panlilio said.
In his first few months in office, Panlilio focused on improving the collection of taxes, and stamping out corrupt practices, like suppliers bribing officials to get contracts approved.
"Suppliers have lowered their bids dramatically after being reminded that the days of SOPs (euphemism for commissions) are over,'' he said.
This has earned him more enemies from local officials, but he said: "We have to convince both civil society and the civil service to take on new wine into new wine skins by way of governance and example.''
In the first 10 months, the provincial government collected some P200 million in quarry revenues.
His administration drafted a three-year executive agenda and presented this to the people for comment in the spirit of "consultation and collaboration.''
It has taken steps to streamline the bureaucracy and boost the capacity of district hospitals, and is studying ways to ensure prompt delivery services, without cutting corners.
"It is not enough that change be manifested within the halls of government. The citizenry bears an equal burden in the process of transformation,'' Panlilio added. "In other words, a responsible citizen must never surrender his rights for the sake of a passing comfort.''
Padaca spent the first three years in office trying to build on the gains of her victory, but Dy's own supporters in the provincial capitol made this difficult.
"If they can't kill your body every day, they will try to kill your spirit. I had to live with all the blows that came my way , with all the dynasty people that I was surrounded with,'' she said.
"But ladies and gentlemen, I'm still governor and Isabela is free from the dynasty,'' she added.
In her second term, Padaca is focusing more on improving the lot of her constituents. She is set to meet with Environment Secretary Lito Atienza to stop illegal logging, and with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap to boost rice production in the province.
PAGASA founder Nicanor Perlas described both Panlilio and Padaca as symbols of the "new politics'' who can serve as an inspiration for others in the 2010 national elections.
"If we know the underlying force that expressed support for their candidacy in the coming few years, especially 2010, there's an unusual opportunity for all Filipinos of goodwill to change our society,'' he said, referring to the power of organized citizenry.
