DEPUTY Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union said over the weekend there are good emerging leaders like House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos even if they belong to political families or dynasties.
Ortega told the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City that elective officials should be judged on their basis of their performance, in addition to their surnames.
“Dapat may metrics na kasama, base sa pamumuno at total governance. Kaya maganda po na may numero, hindi opinyon,” he said.
He cited emerging leaders like Mayor Vico Sotto of Pasig, the Belmontes of Quezon City, and Marcos.
“Nandyan ‘yung Vico Sotto diba, andyan si Sandro Marcos, andyan yung mga Belmonte,” he said.
He said not many know that Marcos takes his job as Majority Leader so seriously that he never absented himself from plenary sessions.
In fact, Ortega pointed out that Marcos is the first House member to be in the session hall and is the last to leave.
“Higit sa kaalaman ng karamihan, ‘yung Majority Leader namin hindi nag-aabsent ‘yan kahit anong sabihin nila o anong ibato nila, hindi po nag-aabsent ‘yan. Siya ang unang nandoon, siya huling umaalis,” he stressed.
He said there have been studies on the impact of political families in the areas they govern, some of which were stories of success.
“May mga ginawa na rin pong pag-aaaral against political dynasties, may nakita akong articles on successful political families,” he said.
He lamented that the term “political dynasty” has created a bad impression on people.
“‘Pag dynasty kasi, parang negative kaagad ang connotation,” he noted.
Ortega stressed the need for the country to develop the “best and the brightest” among its young leaders, whether they belong to traditional political families or are newbies in politics.
“Dyan naman po papasok ‘yung syempre kailangan po we develop, we raise, we encourage, we inspire the next generation of leaders po, kung matunog man ang apelyido niyan o hindi pero nakikita naman ng tao ang capability tsaka skills nila,” he said.
In the early part of the forum, the La Union House leader defended the passage by the House of Representatives what critics described as a “watered down” anti-political dynasty bill.
He said it was the realistic version acceptable to most lawmakers, and that it was a “good, necessary first step” taken by the present 20th Congress and which no other Congress in the past has mustered the resolve to take.
