In 2 Iloilo towns, political scions step into elders’ shoes

It’s as if elective positions are being bequeathed, like inheritance, in some parts of Iloilo.

Two 22-year-old scions of political clans in the province are now poised to take over where their elders are taking off.

So from being just “Toto BJ” and “Inday Lee Ann”, Braeden John “BJ” Biron and Nathalie Ann Debuque are now Mayor Biron, of Barotac Nuevo town, and Mayor Debuque, of Anilao.

These would be the first elective posts for the two who have yet to obtain a college degree.

Biron is graduating in October at the University of Asia and the Pacific from an entrepreneur management course.

Debuque is getting her diploma on June 17 from the University of the Philippines in Manila for an industrial pharmacy course.

Both won big in the May 9 elections. Biron got 17,655 votes, more than double the 8,705 votes received by his opponent, Russ Sarrosa.

The younger Biron is taking over the post that would be vacated by his grandfather, Mayor Hernan Biron Sr., who is ending his third term and is barred by law from seeking a fourth.

BIRON

Debuque won with 7,836 votes against Gil Altamira who had 5,997 votes.

She is taking over the post being vacated by her mother, Ma. Theresa Debuque, who also is ending her third term and, being barred from a fourth, ran for and won as vice mayor.

Biron’s elder brother, Bryant Paul, 23, won a seat in the provincial board.

Biron is secretary general of the Abyan Ilonggo partylist which his father chairs.

The new mayor said he is undaunted by the task ahead—leading a town of 51,867 residents.

“I believe age should not be a measure of competence. I am ready to run the town,” he said.

The younger Biron said his qualification does not rest on his educational background alone. He said he has been exposed to the pharmaceutical trade as result of his father’s business of manufacturing, trading and importing medicines.

Being a member of a political clan, he said he was exposed to politics at a young age.

It is not exaggeration to say that politics runs in the Biron blood. The new mayor’s father has served three terms as congressman. His uncle is outgoing Rep. Hernan Biron Jr. His grandmother, Diana, had served as mayor.

The new mayor’s grandfather volunteered as a consultant of his grandson supposedly for a smooth transition of power.

In footsteps of elders

The younger Biron said he had mixed feelings about entering politics, but later made up his mind to follow his father’s footsteps.

“I realized what my father was trying to accomplish and I wanted to help,” said the new mayor.

An athlete, the younger Biron said it would not be difficult to lead a town dubbed as the “football capital of the Philippines.”

He was varsity football player in elementary school at the Brent International School Manila and varsity basketball player in high school at the British School Manila.

He admitted he is not fluent in Kiniray-a, the dialect in the town, and is more conversant in Hiligaynon, the language spoken in Western Visayas and Negros Occidental, and English.

He does not see this linguistic shortcoming as a liability, however.

“The people of Barotac Nuevo have given me the mandate,” he said. “I’m comfortable in adjusting with people much older than me. My family is well-respected and the people believe I am credible enough to run the town,” he said.

The young mayor has drawn up a 15-point agenda focused on health services and programs.

“As long as the people want me, I will continue to be their servant,” the new mayor said.

DEBUQUE

The ‘quiet type’

Like Biron, Debuque also has no previous experience in politics.

But Debuque said politics is no stranger to her as her family virtually breathed politics.

Her father, Joel, served for two terms as mayor before he died of an illness in his third term.

Debuque said she had no second thoughts about running for mayor.

“My parents sacrificed a lot for our town. I did not hesitate to say yes,” she said.

She admitted, though, that she did not dream of becoming a politician as a child.

A younger sister had been expected to follow her father’s footsteps because she was more outgoing.

“I was the quiet type and preferred to read books,” said Debuque. She said she became a “people person” only in high school.

Debuque expressed confidence she can lead a town of 27,486 people, planning to focus on educational assistance for her constituents.

She said she plans to expand the scholarship program of the town and offer free rides to students.

She won’t be intimidated by the prospect of dealing with people way older than her, she said.

But she dismissed thoughts that she would just be a figurehead in the municipal government to her mother.

“There’s no shadow government,” she said. “I will be the mayor,” she added.

She said her being mayor would be her priority, but that she also has to take care of her business-a five hectare sugarcane plantation and a fishpond.

According to Debuque, she is unsure if politics would be her lifetime career.

“My father died when I was 15 years old and I had to step up for my siblings and help my mother,” she said. “This is in a way similar to what I have to do now,” she added.