EDITORIAL - A mandate is different from reins of government

The decision of Mariquita Salimbangon Yeung not to personally campaign in connection with her bid to become the next mayor of Bogo, citing security reasons, is understandable. The fourth district, to which Bogo belongs, has always been an area where elections are hotly contested.

And While Mariquita belongs to a political family and has been quite active in politics, although she prefers to stay in the background, this time around she is making her first real stab at politics by herself. That opens up a real security concern for her and her family.

But while it is easy to understand her concern for her safety, even sympathize with her over this predicament, it is just as easy to remind her that the easiest way to avoid the heat is to get out of the kitchen.

Certainly she is not unaware of the dangers involved in politics, especially in the north where the fourth district is. That inspite of these dangers she still decided to run gives the impression that she already weighed her options well and has decided to accept the risks.

That considered, it does not do her bid to become mayor of Bogo any good if she sticks to her decision not to campaign personally. A prospective leader has to face the people she wants to lead.

Mariquita is known far and wide as a philanthropist. But philanthropy and a genuine concern for the people are oceans apart from hard-ball politics. The call of the needy expects nothing more than an answer to their pressing needs. It can be done by proxy or remote control.

But in politics you have to be in the thick of it, to rub elbows, pump flesh and hoist babies. And while all these gestures are admittedly perfunctory and even fake, that is just the way the game is played. That is how the Filipino masses love it.

To be sure, Mariquita may want to engage in an entirely different brand of politics, one that is educated, cultured, high-brow. But she still needs to get on the ground, plant her feet squarely on the dirt, in order to get a real feel of the domain she intends to rule.

In the event she wins, she cannot just present herself at the palace to claim her throne without having at least gone through the throngs of her subjects. Mariquita must remember she is seeking a popular mandate, not just the reins of government.