For Makati candidate, educating voters is victory enough

Mike Lopez, 63, seeks the House seat representing the district that covers Makati’s richest villages. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

A 63-year-old activist seeking the congressional seat in Makati City’s first district says he’s not just courting votes but hopes to educate local residents about his “new brand of politics.”

Without a clear source of funds and the support of a political party, Mike Lopez, a law graduate of San Sebastian College and a former overseas Filipino worker, goes house to house handing out flyers detailing his platform of government.

“I wish I no longer had to run because I’ll be 64 in November and my children want me to have more time for rest,” said Lopez in an interview.

As Edjop said…

But borrowing a line from the late martial law activist Edgar Jopson, “Kung hindi ngayon, kailan? Kung hindi ako, sino?  (If not now, when? If not me, who?),” Lopez said he just could not stand idly by.

The idea that Makati Rep. Monique Lagdameo, who is running on the ticket of reelectionist Mayor Junjun Binay, would be unopposed in this election was unacceptable to Lopez.

“Somebody has to run against her,” he said.

But it turned out Lopez was not alone in thinking this way. Two others, namely Virgilio Batalla and Edilberto Cuenca, are also running against Lagdameo.

As for the money to run a campaign, Lopez said friends and supporters had been passing the hat to pay for his materials.

Makati’s first district covers its richest villages and barangays (villages), including Forbes Park, Bel-Air, Dasmariñas, Magallanes, San Antonio and San Lorenzo.

“Some are asking why I am alone and how I can win against the Binays and their allies, but I simply tell them my platform and programs,” he said

“I want to break the myth that one can’t win an election without money.”

Lopez was an activist during martial law, joining demonstrations in Manila.

He said Vice President Jejomar Binay, a former Makati mayor, even became his “compadre” when he joined the August Twenty-One Movement (Atom), one of the groups opposed to the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Lopez described himself as a former government outsider. “Now I want to get in to serve,” he said.

In 2003, he moved to the United States to work but came back seven years later.

When he returned in 2010, he organized the Kontra Daya Movement in Makati and helped in the campaign of President Aquino.

His was a new brand of politics, he said, compared to the old style anchored on political patronage and dynasty.

Lopez then took a swipe at the Binay family, three of whose members are running for various elective posts.

Junjun and Abby Binay are seeking reelection as Makati mayor and second-district representative, respectively, while Nancy Binay is running for senator.

“There’s a need to democratize Makati. The money of the people should be for the people and not for one political family,” he said.

Breaking up dynasties

Lopez said that if elected, the first thing he would do is craft bills that would break up political dynasties.

Lopez also wants to solve another Makati problem by allotting a portion of his pork barrel to flood-mitigating measures.

“I will mind the problems of the common folk because I am one of them. One of these is the constant floods in the city,” he said.

In his platform, he has included modernizing the transport system in Makati and establishing a decent housing program for the city’s working population.

But more than winning, Lopez said he had another purpose for running.

“To win will be a bonus. My purpose is to educate the people about this new kind of politics,” he said.