Our friend Dok Eddie Dorotan is running for mayor of Irosin, Sorsogon.
It was a last-minute decision on his part. He was a reluctant candidate who could not bear the thought of having a political dynasty lording it over his hometown and province. And sadly, money defines Philippine elections and often predicts election outcomes.
Dok Eddie thus faces an uphill battle. He does not have the financial resources to fight such an opponent. How would he compensate for this gross disadvantage in resources?
Dok Eddie has integrity and honesty, competence and merit, compassion and kindness (radikal na pagmamahal or radical love), commitment and service. His sterling performance in delivering essential services and improving human development outcomes as a two-term mayor of Irosin (1992-1998) speaks for itself. His award-winning programs transformed a poor town into a progressive town, from a 5th to 2nd class municipality.
The gains of Irosin have eroded since Dok Eddie’s departure from elected office. Now, his hometown and the whole of Sorsogon are seeing a decline in living standards and a rise in poverty.
After his stint as an elected official, Dok Eddie was invited to direct Galing Pook Foundation, a non-government institution that provides support and resources for local government units (LGUs). This was in recognition of his accomplishments as mayor of Irosin. He steered Galing Pook towards enabling and empowering LGUs to become exemplars of good governance, human development, sustainability, and inclusiveness.
He is likewise a fellow of Action for Economic Reforms, a policy-oriented group advocating economic and political transformation.
Dok Eddie, as a civil society leader, has made outstanding contributions to the reform effort like enabling universal healthcare, putting in place practical measures to protect people from COVID-19, and promoting data-driven development at the local level. Providing primary healthcare is his passion and expertise.
He belongs to the Class of ’81 of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM). A neuroanatomy professor casually described the UPCM Class ’81 as simple, groovy, country doctors — half of the class stayed on to serve the country, and not a few served the far-flung areas in Mindanao and the Cordilleras. Dok Eddie perhaps was the most accomplished of the simple groovy country doctors. He served in his hometown, living on the chickens and eggs he received as a professional fee. But most of the time, he practiced gratis.
He thus won the hearts of the people of Irosin and became town mayor.
In short, Dok Eddie has done so much to improve the lives of our people and to make a better society. He lives by the values that his alma mater ingrained in him: Being a man for others, serving the people, upholding honor and excellence.
At his age, he can retire and at the same time remain active in civic engagement. In fact, he has found time for meditation, painting, traveling, enjoying the beach, rearing dogs, bonding every day with his wife Oyen, and loving the company of apos (grandchildren).
But some concerned friends ask: Why will Dok Eddie run again? And why court further troubles at a time when his family is deeply grieving from the death of two brothers late last year?
Dok Eddie himself has had angioplasties. The truth of the matter is he fared very well in his last stress test, reaching 110% of his maximal heart rate without feeling chest pain or shortness of breath. He is still very young at heart and full of energy.
Is he tilting at windmills? He is a visionary and at the same time is practical. There is vision in his running. He is fully aware that his role is transitional. Others, especially the younger generations whom Dok Eddie can inspire, will continue the pursuit of his reforms and vision of good governance and a better Irosin.
His transitional role is to rebuild, piece by piece, good governance in Irosin, which in turn can motivate other local governments all over the country to follow suit. The scaling up and consolidation of pockets of good local governance can lead to national transformation.
Worth quoting is a passage from Manny V. Pangilinan’s speech at the homecoming of Ateneo graduates of economics in November 2024:
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
In the same vein, Mr. Pangilinan said “We are stewards of the future…. We have the responsibility to leave a better world for the next generation.”
Those words exactly capture Dok Eddie’s current mission to attain an Irosin and a Philippines liberated from debasing poverty, where our people live long and healthy lives, where everyone’s quality of life is high, where everyone’s dignity is observed. He exemplifies the steward and a transformational leader who is rooted in the community.
Complementing his vision is his pragmatism — he knows that reforms take long to solidify. To return to Mr. Pangilinan’s metaphor, what matters in the here and now is planting the good seeds. The good harvest will be reaped.
Dok Eddie’s pragmatism tells him that the current political climate makes it hard for reformers to win. But pragmatism does not mean running away from a fight. Pragmatism is about being aware of the problems and obstacles but likewise knowing how to remove the roadblocks to advance.
The main roadblock is financing. He does not have deep pockets. But he can fight effectively with a minimum necessary amount to finance the campaign. He needs the minimum necessary to feed his volunteers, maintain office operations, gather information, and conduct surveys and Focus Group Discussions, sustain information and media work, and the like.
He will need all the support he can get. Any kind of assistance will boost his campaign. Whatever support — like contributions and volunteer activities — will help realize the hope of (and we paraphrase Dok Eddie) implementing universal healthcare, having access to quality education at all levels, uplifting livelihoods, having access to affordable and nutritious food, protecting our once beautiful mountains, rivers, and seas, and transforming our politics.
Making this hope real is not only for the people of Irosin and Sorsogon. Ultimately it will benefit all of us.
The co-authors are long-time friends of Dok Eddie Dorotan. Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III coordinates the Action for Economic Reforms while Jose Noel C. De La Paz is senior executive of Metro Pacific Health and board member of most of its 27 hospitals across the country. Dr. Rogelio V. Tangco is a cardiologist, and Romeo A. Dalandan, Jr. is a trustee of the Ateneo Association and former director of the Ateneo Alumni Relations Office. For details, e-mail Romeo Dalandan, Jr. at radalandan@gmail.com
