Dear Friends,

Last December 1, when I finally decided to run for the Senate, I remember my wife asking me out loud – “how are we going to do this?” My answer, as it has always been since then, was that God will provide.

At that moment, we had no preparations of any kind for a Senate campaign – no staff, no organization, no political machinery, no campaign funds. Literally, we were on ground zero. I remember to this day the first prayer I made – I asked God to send me wonderful people who can help me on this new journey.

Five and half months later, I can tell you, with much gratitude and humility, that God indeed provides. Truly, He has sent me many wonderful people – patriotic, generous and hopeful – who are committed to work for the change we all desire to see in our country.

In particular, I was amazed by the thousands who responded to our call for small donations of even just P5, P25 or P100. These small donors came from different sectors — from students, teachers, nuns, priests, bishops, farmers, drivers, OFWs, government employees, nurses, doctors, professionals, businessmen, senior citizens, among others. Various groups organized garage sales, lugawans, book sales, fundraising breakfasts, cocktails and dinners. A day before election day, a group of nuns from the Visayas still insisted on giving a donation, despite my telling them that the campaign was over. On May 10, we still received donations in kind and small amounts through SMS. The Little Things counted.

Apart from donors, we had thousands of volunteers from all over the country, many of them anonymous, printing and putting up their own materials, spreading the word through text and Internet, giving out sample ballots, calling friends and relatives, and joining rallies, motorcades, palengke runs, and prayer vigils.

One of the most heart-warming stories for me in this campaign was the story of Susan Leonor, a volunteer from Manapla, Negros Occidental. A few months ago, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. But almost everyday in the last 3 months, Susan has been campaigning for me in different places in the province. Her story made me cry. Another volunteer, an old man in a wheel chair, kept on calling relatives, friends and unknown people in the phonebook directory asking them to vote for us.

Truly, they – along with all of you, my dear friends – are among the many wonderful people God sent to help me on this journey. Thank you so much for all your encouragement, prayers and support. You are a wonderful blessing for me and my family. I truly thank God for all of you.

It has been an exhausting campaign, sometimes funny (we should run a contest on how many times I had to answer the question “kaano-ano mo ba si Ping?), and oftentimes humbling and enriching as I listened to the hopes and dreams of our countrymen.

Last year, I embarked on this journey because of a dream – a dream of a better Philippines, where every child gets a good education, where every graduate is able to find a job, where every father has a reliable source of income, where every Filipino family has a decent house to go home to, where the Filipino and his family can be assured of a beautiful future, in the land where God planted them.

I am honored to share that dream with you.

I shall be honored to pursue that dream with you.

Please keep the faith – the faith in the Filipino as well as in our power to build a better future for our people. Our faith is the most important element in making our dream come true.

We are now 14,000 strong in Facebook, and despite being one of the newest and least-known faces in the Senate race, we garnered around 5 million votes nationwide.

The challenge now is – What can we do? What must we do?

Mga kapatid, please help me inspire these 5 million voters to become heroes for our country, through small acts of patriotism, wherever they may be in our archipelago.

In this regard, I hope to have a continuing conversation with you, if not personally, then on this page. I hope that we can continue sharing stories and exchanging ideas on how we can pursue our Dream Philippines.

Change has come. We are the change.

Always,

…because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…” (John 15:19)

There will be many who deserve to win in this Monday’s election but who may not. One of them is Atty. Alexander Lacson, a good friend, senatorial candidate under the Liberal Party.

The first time I met Alex was when we were both guest speakers in an event for the scholars of Metrobank Foundation. From that day onwards, my liking and admiration for this man began to grow. What struck me most about Alex was not his exceptional writing ability. Nor his inspiring public speaking skills. Not even his obvious patriotism. Towering above all these is one trait that sets the man apart from many successful people I know: Humility.

Here was a man who, despite his many skills and abilities, remained rooted in his values. Not one to brag about his achievements, Alex quietly works to make his beloved country a better place.

Alex and I share the same passion: to see transformation in the Philippine society. We both do it the same way. We do it with our mouths and with our pens. And now, as he has embarked on a journey in an arena I dare not tread, Alex has taken the fight a step further. He now seeks to transform, not only the minds and hearts of his countrymen, but also the very structure which impedes and obstructs the desired transformation that he envisions for his beloved nation.

I texted Alex some weeks back at the start of his campaign to encourage him. His reply was classic Alex: Bro, pray for me in this journey that I have chosen.

Yes, I pray for Alex. For when one decides to go against the tide, the tide will threaten to swallow him. People will hate him for what he stands for. His integrity. His passion. His honesty. His closeness to God. The words of scripture today is strikingly relevant:

“…because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…” (John 15:19)

Yes, there will be many who deserve to win in this Monday’s election but who may not…not unless we do something about it.

And so I call on all Filipino readers of this blog. Those who believe in having moral leaders take on the helm of this country. Those who believe in the importance of both competence and character in a public servant. Those who believe in the true essence of selfless service and genuine servanthood.

I call on all of you now to vote only for those candidates who truly deserve your precious votes. Give your trust to those who sincerely want change. Those who are honest. Those who are competent. Those who are humble. Those whose lives, more than their mouths, speak of the changes they envision.

And through your precious vote, the deserving, in the eyes of God, shall surely win.

Bracing myself for real transformation this Monday,

Bobby Q.

A couple of weeks ago, a group asked me to be one of several people to utter a prayer for the elections. It was in the nature of a panalangin, a plea to heaven for the kind of future we want.

On my way to the place, I thought of this: “I pray to heaven to end the lying, stealing, cheating and murdering that have been rioting in this country all these years. I pray to heaven to give this country the respite it so badly needs and the deliverance it so badly wants.

“But then what in heaven’s name am I praying to heaven for? The power to do it is in my hands. The power to do it is in my vote. I vote for the right persons, I end the lying, cheating, stealing and murdering. I vote for the right persons I give myself the respite I so badly need and the future I so badly crave.

“I vote for the wrong persons, why don’t I just ask to be struck by lightning?”

I never got to say these things, they just needed a couple of lines. But I can’t think of a better thing to say on Election Day. I’ve said it before of course, but it bears saying again and again. The power to choose our leaders lies in our hands—or ought to, GMA having other ideas about it. The power to live our lives lies in our hands—or ought to, the Ampatuans having other ideas about it. The power to chart our fate lies in our hands—or ought to, the deceivers and charlatans, the fakirs and fascists, the snake-charmers and snakes-in-human-form having other ideas about it.

The only thing worse than being powerless is being powerful and not knowing it.

I have a few good men—and women—to commend on that note. Nearly all of them are running under Noynoy. I’m glad his campaign resisted the temptation to go the trapo route and seek out the more popular rather than more principled “senatoriables.” I won’t bother with the others as they are doing well enough. The ones that need your help—and vote—are:

Alex Lacson. If only to prove that nice guys can finish first. You can’t find nicer, notwithstanding that with his name he often gets to be confused with Ping. Alex has been writing “10 Things You Can Do For The Country” or variations thereof for more than 10 years, the local version of “An Idiot’s Guide to Making Yourself Matter.” He’s the most ardent exponent of what I’ve been trying to say here, which is that the power is in our hands, there’s no lack of ways you can wield it.

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You vote for these people, you can change your lot in life. You vote for Jinggoy, Bong, Miriam, Johnny (though I am thankful to him for saving Noynoy’s campaign), Lito L and the usual suspects, sayang the pamasahe to the precinct. Better just ingest insecticide.

Cheaper and faster.

Senatorial candidate Alex Lacson and his standard bearer, Noynoy Aquino, have a lot in common. The most glaring similarity is that they were initially hesitant to play their roles in this year’s elections. But Lacson was ready to answer the call of the people like Aquino, the instant he heard it.

“The first time I was really reluctant,” Lacson told PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in a recent interview. “Kasi actually, November 9 [2009] nila sinabi sa akin na yung pangalan ko was included in the senatorial line-up. I was informed na by president ng Liberal Party, si Butch Abad. Pero 10 days later, November 19, I asked Butch Abad to remove my name because I was not sure if politics is for me.”

He continued, “November 25 ng gabi, tumawag si Butch Abad sa akin, ‘saka si Mar Roxas, na especially asking kung tuloy ako sa line-up. I said yes, pero may pag-alangan at reservation sa sarili ko. On November 30, it was supposed to be my launch. Parang ipo-proclaim ako ni candidate sa Pampanga. Si Noynoy was there, si Mar was there, and Liberal Party. And si Governor Among Panlilio prepared. I was not able to go because I was not sure if I would run. So the following day, alam na nila na baka di ako tutuloy. Kinausap ako ni Noynoy sa phone on December 1.”

December 1 was the deadline of the filing of the certificate of candidacy in the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“After December 1, I was relieved. Sabi ko, tuloy na ‘to. Handa na ko.”

PUSHING NOYNOY TO RUN. Lacson, 45, said Aquino was hesitant to choose him at first.

“He was hesitant to get me dahil I was one of those who encouraged him to run for President. Yung group po namin is Tuloy PNoy. Yeah, I was the founder of that, I was the chairman of that also,” he explained in a soft voice.

Tuloy Pnoy started in 2005 as Ano Ang Taya Mo? (ATM), a group that espouses nationalism. ATM evolved into Tuloy Pnoy when former President Cory Aquino died in August.

“When she passed away on August 1, may nag-uusap-usap na na, ‘Alex, mukhang si Noynoy na ang hinanap ng tao na maging Presidente. Are you willing to make the call? Ikaw ang mag-lead sa amin to encourage Noynoy to run for President,’” Lacson explained.

He agreed, and they made a public gesture to encourage Aquino to seek the highest office of the land.

“Pumunta lang kami sa bahay niya, August 31, kasama yung grupo naman. Naglagay kami ng drum in front of their house, and we encouraged everyone that if they want Noynoy to run for President, they give their contribution dun sa drum.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

TWELVE THINGS. Alex Lacson, a lawyer, lecturer, and author, may be new to politics, but he’s not new to the spotlight. Since 2005, he had always been invited to several speaking arrangements all over the country. All these because of a little book, 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country, which he authored.

The 103-page book lists 12 actions anyone can do to instill love for the Philippines. These are:

1. Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
2. Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt.
3. Don’t buy smuggled goods. Buy local. Buy Filipino.
4. When you talk to others, especially foreigners speak positively about us and our country.
5. Respect your traffic officer, policeman and soldier.
6. Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve.
7. Support your church.
8. During elections, do your solemn duty.
9. Pay your employees well.
10. Pay your taxes.
11. Adopt a scholar or a poor child.
12. Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country.

“The book came out in 2005,” explained Lacson. “Tapos in almost a year I would get a lot of invitations, because of that book. Then later on, yun nga,maraming nag-gravitate na group that really promote love for the Filipino, para ma-verbalize natin yung love na ‘yon.”

(One of the groups that resulted from the book was ATM.)

Lacson said he thought up the idea of writing a book when he and his wife Pia delayed migrating to the United States to seek a better life.

“Naisip ko, bakit hindi natin kayang ipakita ang pagmamahal sa bayan?” he asked sincerely. “Siguro, sa maliliit na pamamaraang ito, makakayanan natin baguhin ang bansa natin. Madali lang naman gawin ‘yan.”

The book was self-published in 2005, but grew to be a bestseller when it was reviewed by several famous personalities, including the late columnist and journalist Max Soliven. He also knew of an instance when Cory Aquino asked her daughter Kris to feature the book in one of her TV shows.

“Salamat sa kanila, maraming nakakakilala ng libro. Maraming gumagawa ng bagay na naisulat na dito.”

He once heard of a school here in Metro Manila that did recommendation number 11. The noble students of a public elementary school chose to adopt a student their age from the provinces. Their efforts to raise funds, including collecting used bottles and old newspapers, got them featured in a national broadsheet.

“Siguro kung maraming gagawa nito, maraming makakapag-aral. Dapat tayong magtulungan,” Lacson enthused.

INSPIRATION. Lacson did not have an easy childhood. His mother, Fe Lacson, was a public school teacher, and his father left them when he was 14. Living in rural Kabankalan, Negros Occidental also left him with no ambitions.

Add to that that there was no “culture of excellence” in his family. None of his older siblings excelled in school, thus he was not given a good motivator.

“When I was in elementary, from grade 1 to grade 4, I was always in section B, not the honors section. Sa pamilya namin, wala kaming achiever. Yung father ko hindi naman nakapagtapos ng college. Yung mother ko public school teacher. Sa amin walang culture of academic excellence. Pinapabayaan nila kami. So, sa pamilya namin, walang gumraduate with honors, walang scholar,” he said.

Good thing a young teacher in his Grade 4 year took notice.

“Yung teacher namin, batang-bata. Ang bait-bait. May special attention siya sa akin, di ko alam kung bakit. Nasa Grade 4, section B ako. And dahil ang bait niya sa akin, parang may special care siya sa akin, I was inspired. Nag-aral ako. Nung nag-aral ako tumataas yung grades ko, hanggang nag-Grade 5 ako, napasok na ko sa honors class,” he narrated.

From then on, Grade 5 was easy. “Nung nasa honors class na ko, ang gagaling ng mga kasama ko. So, aral ako nang aral. Eventually, when I graduated, I was top 4 in our batch.”

The momentum was so strong that he almost graduated valedictorian in high school. Heroism took over, however, and he was forced to sacrifice his top recognition.

“Ako yung tinitingala na leader ng batch. Rural ito, maliit lang yung school namin. I was class president, and I was also the corps commander. May isang classmate ko na siya yung nagga-guard sa gate. Yung officer of the day. One day, yung husband ng isang teacher namin, gustong pumasok sa gate, kaya lang hindi siya pinayagan ng officer na ‘yon, classmate ko.

“Nung hindi siya pinayagan, nagalit, pinagmumura yung kadete. ‘Saka umuwi, ‘saka nagdala ng sasakyan, nagdala ng baril. Hindi naman tinutok yung baril, pinakita lang, pinantakot. Syempre, natakot yung bata, napa-ihi sa pants. Nagsumbong sa nanay at tatay, nagalit, nagsumbong sa eskwelahan. Humingi ng justice. So sumulat sila sa principal, sa school director. Hindi inaksiyonan.”

Lacson was forced to mobilize his classmates against the injustice. “So, yung parents ngayon, lumapit sa akin. I was the class president, I was also the corps commander. From there nag-rally kami, yung ibang Fourth Year. Na-suspend yung klase for several days because of me.”

He concluded, “Kahit ngayon pag nagkikita-kita yung batch.. To this day, parang legend ‘yon. So everytime na nag-a-alumni gathering, yun yung usapan to this day.”

MORE HEROISM. After high school, Lacson was accepted to the Philippine Military Academy. But another act of heroism made him quit the prestigious school for soldiers.

In his own words, “I was a member of the honor committee in our batch. We were in charge of implementing the honor code. The honor code says that the cadets do not lie, cheat, or cover up for those who do. Then there was a cheating scandal that happened in our batch. Eventually, around 50 cadets involved towards the end.”

“I was chairman of our section. So they asked me to report. I refused. I left the PMA instead. Kasi alam mo sa PMA kasi, maraming mahihirap, siguro mga 95 percent. And I looked at them, I was not sure if they really were a part of it. I had the names. Doon sa honors committee, walang repeat doon. I believed that there was something wrong with the system. I want them to stay and have a chance to a better life. So I just decided to leave.”

Lacson then transferred to the University of the Philippines where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science as a working student. He then took up Law in the same university, and passed the Bar Exam in 1996.

Lacson also took up postgraduate studies at the Harvard Law School in 2002.

GOOD LEADERSHIP. Lacson did not volunteer the tales about his past by himself. Rather, this reporter had to grill the information out of him. Lacson is that humble.

A softspoken young man. A lawyer. An author who dreams of changing the Philippine landscape through leadership and governance rooted in nationalism. This sums up Alex Lacson.

“We are the builders of the greatness of the Filipino,” he said, towards the end of the interview. “We are the builders of the nation. And we have to keep fighting for change. Running for public office is fighting for good leadership in the country. Each one of us should do his part. At this time I was given this opportunity to fight for change and I want to continue with it.”