I admire the decision of San Jose Mayor Romulo M. Festin to retire (or was it just rest?) from politics. His friend, incumbent Mayor Benjamin N. Tria of Looc, is apparently to follow suit. Though not as formal as Manny Pacquiao's retirement from boxing, they have unceremoniously announced it nevertheless.
Both have been in politics in various positions, they have nothing to prove because they already defied history and were able to experience deeds more precious than any gemstone. Mayors Ben and Muloy already leaving behind a legacy like the others who have been in power for more than three decades or so. Mayors Muloy and Ben will retire as winners. Unlike the retirement of Pacquiao that came after his loss to Cuban Yordenis Ugas, a virtually unknown opponent.
There
are many contemporaries of the two gentlemen who are now inactive in politics
and were not able to bounce back after a loss or series of losses. But not
friends Muloy and Ben. They were able to come back and like the mythical
Phoenix, returned from the ashes, so to speak.
Muloy is Occidental Mindoro’s personification of the Man of the Masses. He was elected board member from 1988 to 1998 and that is straight 10 years in office. He was voted vice-mayor of San Jose from 1998-2001 and from 2001 to 2004. He served as mayor from 2004 to 2010. He lost to Jose Villarosa in 2010 but was able to bounce back and won in 2013 and is about to complete his full three terms next year. These are the so-called “Muloy Moments” in the province’s political history that the people will surely remember.
Well,
mayors Ben and Muloy, compadre to both,
are still capable, both physically and mentally to run for a public office but
they preferred to call it quits and hang their proverbial political hats or at least
rest them. So far as I write this. This is what I have heard on their separate
pronouncements in the radio program Para sa Bayan last Monday and Tuesday
hosted by Daisy Del Valle Leano and Helen Pilaro-De Guzman. I have told my
friend Daisy that Muloy is such a colorful subject and truly a good biography
material. Not only that, his life and experience are part and parcel of
Occidental Mindoro’s political history and social stories that ought to be told
to Gen Y or Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen A, including the Gen Tech,
post-Millennials, iGeneration, Gen Y-Fi, and Zoomers in our midst and the
so-called Pandemic Generation of the future.
Ben Tria and Muloy Festin been elected members of the Occidental Mindoro Provincial Board in 1988. Since then, their achievement as legislators and local chief executives have already left indelible marks in our political history. Mayor Muloy had been in politics for 31 years now and Mayor Ben entered a little bit later than him. Mayor Muloy even jokingly claimed that in his long years in politics, he was able to develop a sixth sense of knowing instantly what clients need before saying a word to him.
My hats off to the two gentlemen in this aspect. They both going to pass on the torch to their respective relatives. Mayor Muloy’s daughter, Michelle Festin-Rivera, an incumbent board member, is said to be vying for a mayoralty position in San Jose, and Nestor Tria, also a board member and brother of Mayor Ben, will run as mayor of Looc. Both Muloy, former vice-president of the LMP, and Ben, an accountant, are to complete their three terms as mayor of their respective municipalities this year. Bokal Nestor is about to complete his full term as a board member while Bokal Michelle dived into politics only last elections and likewise voted to the provincial legislative council.
Just recently, Mayor Muloy steered his town’s bagging of two major awards in the recently-concluded 8th Annual Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index (CMCI). LGU San Jose gained first place in the Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure at Resilience category in the whole MIMAROPA Region and place 16th among the 1,493 municipalities in the country. The award is bestowed by the Department of Trade and Industry or DTI. The awards conferred to this town known before as Pandurucan under the leadership of Mayor Muloy are too many to mention. But he believes that the credit is not his alone.
Mayor Muloy is firm and tough. He stood on the side of the fishermen in the infamous Gem-Ver-sinking incident in the West Philippine Sea as opposing the pro-Chinese posture of Malacañan on the issue. He said in a Rappler interview, “Ipakita natin 'yung ating muscle. May muscle din tayo kahit sa bibig. Kung wala man tayong muscle sa giyera eh sa bunganga man lang at sa tinatawag na proper court kung saan dapat dalhin 'yan.” The interview was conducted by the now controversial Rambo Talabong of said media firm which appeared in June 17, 2019.
On the other hand, Mayor Ben has been at the forefront of implementing basic services to his town’s basic sectors specifically the fisherfolks, and continuous to be an advocate for the environment specifically the protection of marine life which gained international recognition. He had been real busy recently curbing COVID-19 cases in that island municipality.
The tested and seasoned politicians have already proved their worth. S/he would just create a sort of mental fatigue for the voters for being a political candidate ad infinitum. In doing so, they will be breaking the circle of his or her legacy and their victorious achievements in exemplary public service. A politician is like a rubber band. Full stretch limits itself.
Since “There is nothing permanent in politics,” mayors Ben and Muloy may also change their minds and file their CoCs for other political seats in the coming days. If, as I said, they change their minds. Nothing is permanent in politics, and as popular belief has it, politicians have ever-changing minds.
Please be reminded too that before he announced his retirement from boxing yesterday, Manny Pacquiao, after his third fight with Timothy Bradley in 2016 which he won via UD, said, "As of now, I am retired" but went on to fight that same year. So, boxers and politicians have many things in common. Nothing is definite in these two dynamic realms.
God gave us all power to know for ourselves when to quit or to stop (or rest) in anything we do. There must be a final Sabbath both in politics and boxing. Unluckily, many politicians and boxers from all over trust more their self-fulfilling prophetic power than this inner power that the Almighty installed in all of us.
Those who had been long in politics can play the role of guides and should give it up so that the young and new politicians or their second liners or successors can continue their ideals. This includes their unfinished business in public service that could be passed on to them through bits of advice and pointers. In Mayor Muloy’s case, his grand project of construction of a new public market is now reportedly already in the pipeline and the town’s baby walk to cityhood. Not to be left out is his aim of implementing best practices towards sustainable tourism which is also the main agenda of his politician daughter.
But of course, they must not make string-puppets out of their protégées. Voters have to weigh this reality out.
As “There is nothing permanent in politics,” overstaying in this business deserves a second, more critical look.
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