Tuesday, June 24, 2025

‘Utang na loob’

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‘Lacuna missed the point in the deepening political rift with her former close ally: her undeniable lackluster performance as Manila mayor, a major election issue that proved indefensible politically and socially.’

JUST like many politicians, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna has been overcome by the possibility of being walloped by her strong political rival. She was stunned when Isko Moreno announced that he was running for mayor again, taking back a promise to Lacuna that he would never go up against her in a mayoralty race in Manila.

Lacuna had believed that Moreno owed her father, the late former Manila vice mayor Danny Lacuna, that much. The people of Manila are familiar with the late vice mayor’s compassion and generosity to Moreno, whose college education he supported financially. The elder Lacuna also sponsored Moreno’s master’s studies at the Harvard School of Government, as well as the rise in his political career

In her campaign rallies, Lacuna pummeled Moreno with insulting tirades, calling him “isang taong walang utang na loob” or “hindi marunong kumilala ng utang na loob.”

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Lacuna made it clear to Moreno that he wouldn’t have gotten to where he is now were it not for her father. Moreno countered that he was acknowledging the huge personal debt that he owed the late Manila vice mayor, pointing to the prominent positions that he had given to Honey’s husband and all her siblings at City Hall.

It was clear there was no love lost between them.

Lacuna missed the point in the deepening political rift with her former close ally: her undeniable lackluster performance as Manila mayor, a major election issue that proved indefensible politically and socially.

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From the top 12 in recent surveys, I only voted for Bong Go, Tito Sotto and Manny Pacquiao.

We should not take political surveys seriously if we aspire deeply for a truly honest and capable governance. The more competent, dedicated and upright would have no chance in the Senate or the House of Representatives if our hearts and minds are ruled by a compelling sense of popularity, prominence and image.

Voting for any member of a political dynasty was also out of the question. Colleges and universities nationwide should conduct an enlightening and rigorous voter education program to reverse this utterly flawed cultural mindset.

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From Meryl Streep, posted on FB by Echoes of Insight: “Aging is not for the weak. One day, you wake up and realize that your youth is gone, but along with it, so goes insecurity, haste, and the need to please. You learn to walk more slowly, but with greater certainty. You say goodbye without fear, and cherish those who stay. Aging means letting go, it means accepting. It means discovering that beauty was never in our skin, but in the story we carry inside us.”

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