The CPA & the doctors

It augurs well for the country when the best, the brightest and the well-intentioned run for public office and see it not as a last resort to the Big Time but as a rare opportunity to make a difference in the lives of man

The people of Negros Oriental and Siquijor, for one, are going to have a chance to scrutinize three professionals — a CPA, an orthopedic surgeon and an OB-gynecologist — before they go to the polls this May.

The CPA is a woman, and she is currently the chairperson of the House of Representatives’ powerful Committee on Appropriations. Jocelyn “Josy” Sy-Limkaichong is the first congresswoman in the history of Negros Oriental politics. She was first elected congresswoman in 2007. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Commerce, major in Accounting from the De La Salle University in Manila, with honors. She was also the first woman elected mayor of the municipality of La Libertad.

Josy had the option of running for re-election as congresswoman, but President Aquino asked her to run for governor instead. She couldn’t say no. She also wanted to have a chance to transform Negros Oriental into a bustling hub, so it could keep up with its more prosperous neighbors Cebu and Bohol.

The doctors are two dashing men. Mark Macias was the head of Orthopedic Trauma at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center for 10 years till he decided to return to Dumaguete and practice there. He was handpicked by Josy to be her running mate under the Liberal Party.

Jay Pernes is an OB-gynecologist who has had no previous political experience. An EDSA veteran, he is running for congressman of Siquijor under the Liberal Party fuelled by the same ideals he nurtured at EDSA.

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The three professionals were guests at last Tuesday’s Bulong Pulungan press forum at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza. It being Women’s Month, Josy was given center stage first.

The daughter of Filipino-Chinese businessman Julio Sy Sr., she is married to the incumbent La Libertad Mayor, Lawrence Limkaichong Jr. She says her husband had no insecurities about her holding a post (congresswoman) that was larger in scope than his.

If elected governor, she will again make history as the first woman elected to the post in Negros Oriental. Josy plans to continue her advocacies — health, education, agriculture, roads and trade and tourism (HEART) — if she is elected this May.

“I believe you have to invest in human resources before you can have economic growth,” she says. Her innate business acumen displays itself with her plans also to make Negros Oriental a bigger BPO and call center hub. There are four major universities in the province, including the world-renowned Silliman University.  Josy thus points out the people in her province are highly educated and have a good command of English. Among the big call centers with a presence in Negros Oriental is Convergys.

A devout Catholic, she voted for the passage of the RH Bill. She is dismayed by the disinformation going on in the province about the RH Law. She recounted that once, she met an impoverished couple who refused to have their sixth child get his immunization shots at the health center. When she asked them why, they said it was because they were told by their friends that the government “will seize babies born after the fourth child.”

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When Josy agreed to run for governor, she had only one choice for a running mate: Dr. Mark Macias, son of the late Gov. Emilio Macias.

“My best asset is my family name,” says Mark. He gave up his flourishing practice in Metro Manila to return to his roots in Dumaguete a couple of years ago. His supportive wife Melanie and their teenaged children followed him to Dumaguete, where they all beautifully adjusted to a simpler lifestyle. Mark and Melanie opened their home to those who needed medical attention, usually pro bono. He then opened a clinic at Silliman when their living room became too small to accommodate all those who wanted to consult with him.

At first a reluctant candidate, this rural doctor says he is now “in it to win it.”

“I am running to put myself in a better position to be of help to others. As a physician, I am able to help people — one patient at a time. As vice governor, I would be able to help many people every given time,” says Mark.

“In 2009, when my father was governor, Negros Oriental was No. 1 in the DILG ranking in terms of Local Government Performance. It went down to No. 7 in 2010 and in 2011, we were shocked to see that we were in 57th place!” Mark told the Bulong Pulungan forum. If their team wins, Josy plans to put Mark at the helm of the health services in the province — his very area of expertise.

Mark believes in responsible parenthood and doesn’t believe in divorce.

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One of the first things Dr. Jay Pernes was told at the forum was that his province had a “bad” reputation as the home of aswangs and manananggals. He laughed this off, saying he knew of a husband who paid P35,000 to an alleged witch to put a hex on his wife’s lover. The jealous husband later complained to Jay that the object of the hex (barang) “didn’t even catch a cold.”

Jay says that Siquijor is one of the most beautiful islands in the Philippines, with 107 kilometers of coastline. It has beaches with pristine white sands made from centuries of waves crashing into pearly white shells.

But despite its natural resources, Siquijor, according to Jay, has a 90 percent unemployment rate.

He plans to address this problem by supporting the establishment of nursing homes catering to Scandinavians in warm Siquijor.

After years of delivering babies, will Jay, if elected to Congress, deliver measures that will help Siquijor progress?

Abangan.

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)