On the first Monday of January, our civic engagement specialist MJ Catequista and production specialist Franz Lopez went around Manila asking residents what they want for their city given the prospect of electing new local officials this year.
One word was mentioned by almost all the interviewees: “maayos (better).”
“Kailangan maayos (It needs to be better),” said Allan Mika, a 63-year-old pedicab driver.
When asked to elaborate he said, “’Yong mga kalsada maayos, kay sentro itong Manila, eh. Tingnan ’yong kalsada natin dito lubak-lubak, o. Minsan maglakad ka, nadadapa ka pa.”
(The roads should be fixed because Manila is a central hub. But look at our streets, they’re full of potholes. When you walk on them, you even trip.)
The second thing he mentioned: jobs.
He doesn’t want to be a pedicab driver for the rest of his life. He wishes people like him could be given space and opportunity to put up a small business, even just a street stall.
Forty-six-year-old Alma Habigero used that word too.
“Gusto ko ’yong gumanda ’yong Maynila, ’yong mga tao umano naman, maging maayos ’yong mga Manileño,” she said.
(I want Manila to be better, for the Manileños to be better.)
Asked to describe the leader she would vote for, she said: “Ang gusto kong katangian sa susunod na lider sa Maynila ’yong matino, hindi kurakot, hindi corrupt, ’yong kalusugan, kabutihan, gano’n — ’yong ikaaangat ng mga taga-Maynila.”
(The next leader of Manila should be decent, not corrupt, someone who focuses on health, someone good — someone who will work for the betterment of the lives of Manileños.)
Maayos. A Filipino word at once vague and specific. It could mean fixing something broken. It could mean “decent,” or something that is as it should be. It means orderly, just right.
It sounds general, but when someone uses that word, we know exactly what it means.
It is a kind of word that is most readily linked to local governance. It was no surprise to me that it would be raised in interviews about how a city should be governed.
When you say “maayos,” you are most often referring to something in your surroundings, in your immediate vicinity. When you move, live, thrive, play, eat, and work within a physical space and place, you would want that place to be orderly, to function properly.
When there is a glitch or when systems break down, say sewerage, or potholed roads, or healthcare, your quality of life suffers tremendously. Hence, the desire for things to work. Kailangan maayos.
The importance of good local governance is why Rappler is holding a series of public fora for local candidates in January and February. We’ve invited candidates for mayor and district representative to speak at our election kapihan in two cities to give voters a chance to hear their platforms, pose questions, and bring up issues.
I’m excited to announce that our first 2025 election kapihan will happen on January 25, Saturday, in Escolta, Manila. We’ll be holding it at the FIRST Coworking Community in the lovely First United Building.
Entrance is free, you’ll just need to show the Rappler Communities app on your phone. If you can’t make it in person, the whole discussion will be livestreamed on Rappler and our social media platforms. If you want to be part of the live audience, register here.
The second kapihan will be in Marikina, on February 9, Sunday, from 5 to 7:30 pm, at Rustic Mornings. We’ll be announcing registration details for this soon.
Through these kapihan discussions (yes, there will be coffee), we hope to encourage Filipinos to engage with how they are governed at the local level. Many of us may know who the president is, or are familiar with our senators. But how many of us know the name of our city mayor? How many of us have actually heard our mayor, vice mayor, or district representative speak? How well do you know how your city functions and how you or your loved ones are affected by local policies?
Political participation should begin in our own backyard. Active citizenship should start in our barangays, towns, and cities. Ito ang #AmbagNatin (Our Contribution).
Our kapihans are designed to spark meaningful and constructive conversations between citizens and candidates. We’ll be doing scoping and live chats to learn more about issues that matter the most to residents of Manila and Marikina. The information we gather will be used as basis for the topics and questions to be asked during the kapihan.
We hope you can join us, and support our goal to bring this to other cities. We believe every election is a chance to kindle that spark of civic empowerment in as many citizens as possible. Let’s light that fire. – Rappler.com
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