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by Rodel Rodis
November 21, 2010
In the June 3, 2008 California primary elections, West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon was heavily favored to win the Democratic nomination in the predominantly Democratic 8th Assembly District and to go on to be the first Filipino elected to the California legislature since the first Filipinos landed in Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587. It would be historic.
Praised by the state capital’s premier daily, Sacramento Bee, as “one of the most intelligent, talented and hard-working elected officials in the region”, Cabaldon enjoyed the endorsement of elected officials and newspaper editorial boards in the three counties covered by his assembly district. He also raised more than double what his opponent, a relatively unknown Yolo County Supervisor, Mariko Yamada, was able to muster.
And yet on election night, it was Yamada who won in a stunning upset causing noted Sacramento political analyst Marcos Breton to ask: “How did the brightest, most promising young political figure in Sacramento lose an election that he seemed certain to win?”
Various political pundits offered their opinions and I did as well speculating then that perhaps “Yamada won because she is Japanese American and Cabaldon lost because he is Filipino American”.
In “Breaking the Curse” (Philippine News, June 16, 2008), I wrote: “While it is doubtful that voters consciously considered the ethnic backgrounds of the candidates, it may have subconsciously entered their minds that Japanese Americans like the late Rep. Bob Matsui and his successor widow, Rep. Doris Matsui, have successfully represented the Sacramento district in the US Congress while no Filipino American has ever represented any assembly or senate district in California.”
The results prompted me to ask: Are American voters subconsciously influenced by the image of the Philippines as an impoverished nation governed by corrupt officials in their unfavorable assessment of Filipino candidates? Or to ask in another way: Are American voters subconsciously influenced by the images of Japan, China, India and South Korea as prosperous, industrialized nations governed by competent officials in their favorable assessment of candidates from those nations?
Later that year, six Filipino American candidates ran for various public offices in the San Francisco Bay Area including Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves who was gunning for a seat in the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. All of them lost in an election where other Asian American candidates like Fiona Ma and Mariko Yamada won handily.
By 2009, I was convinced that one way to empower our community’s candidates is to change the perception of the Philippines as a nation governed by corrupt officials. The perception was the reality -the Philippines was run by a succession of crooks from Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos to Joseph Estrada to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Philippine presidents who considered the national treasury their private accounts. To change the perception, the reality had to be changed.
This was the reason I decided to actively campaign for Noynoy Aquino for president as I considered him an honest champion of good governance. This was the genesis behind the US Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar which was formed in South San Francisco in September of 2009. We held town hall meetings, rallies and fund-raisers for Noy-Mar all throughout Northern California and, eventually, all over the US.
In the May 10, 2010 Philippine presidential elections, Aquino and Roxas won over 60% of all the Filipino votes in the US. After Noynoy Aquino’s victory was assured, more than 200 of us flew in from the US to personally attend the inauguration of President Noynoy Aquino on June 30 along with 500,000 Filipinos who celebrated Aquino’s victory in Luneta.
While in Manila, we formed the US Pinoys for Good Governance which is dedicated to alleviating poverty and eliminating corruption in the Philippines. We now have chapters throughout the US.
Within a few short months, we saw the public image of a corruption-plagued Philippine government quickly dissipating from the American consciousness.
When Pres. Aquino visited San Francisco on September 26, he met with members of the US Pinoys for Good Governance and we briefed him of our group’s plans to increase the number of Filipino US voters in the next Philippine elections. Pres. Aquino advised us that we would have a more positive impact on the Philippines if we increased our political clout in the US.
“Imagine the power you could have in the US if you increased the number of Filipino voters in US elections,” he said as he noted that there are more than 4 million Filipinos in the US.
The November 2010 US election results are in. According to Marily Mondejar of the Filipina Women’s Network, more than 30 Filipino American candidates across the U.S. ran for public office and 21 of them won including Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye who was confirmed as Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court with 67.3% of the vote.
As polls and elections only cover the conscious choices of individuals, we may never know the extent the changed perception of the Philippines and its leadership played in the subconscious choices of the voters.
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On the US stage, two Filipino-Americans were re-elected to the US House of Representatives: Rep. Steve Austria (R-Ohio 7) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D –Virginia 3). Kris Valderama re-elected to the Maryland state legislature.
In Northern California, Fil-Ams won big. Christopher Cabaldon was re-elected mayor of West Sacramento while Joe Esteves regained his old post as mayor of Milpitas ousting incumbent Kevin McHugh. Pete Sison won re-election as Suisun City mayor. Daly City Mayor Mike Guingona won re-election to his city council seat while newcomer Pat Gacoscos won a seat in the Union City Council to give Fil-Ams (together with Manny Fernandez and Jim Navarro) the majority in the 5-member council.
In San Francisco, Hydra Mendoza topped the School Board contest assuring that she will be the next president of the San Francisco School Board which has a $550-M annual budget. Rudy Asercion was elected to the Republican County Central Committee.
Former Mayor Joanne Del Rosario was re-elected to the Colma Town Council while newcomer Myrna De Vera was elected to the Hercules City Council.
Other notable winners include Rob Bonta who topped the City Council race in Alameda while Linda Canlas was elected to the School Board in the same city.
In Contra Costa County, newcomer Cynthia Teves-Ruehlig was elected to the Contra Costa County Board of Education while Mae Cendana-Torlakson was re-elected to the Ambrose Rec and Park Board. Mae is married to Tom Torlakson who was just elected Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of California.
In Hawaii, four Pinays won their bids to the state house including Donna Mercado-Kim (D- District 14), Della Au-Belatti (D -District 25), Rida Cabanilla-Arakawa (D- District 42) and Kymberly Marcos-Pine, (R- District 43).
Congratulations to all.
(Send comments to Rodel50@aol.com or mail to the Law Offices of Rodel Rodis at 2429 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127 or call 415.334.7800).