Part-time faculty member of the Benilde Film and Multimedia Arts department, ‘Direk’ Dodos De La Cruz filed on October 14 his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) to run for Manila mayor on the upcoming 2016 national elections.

On his Facebook post, De La Cruz shared a picture of his COC with the caption indicating that he is running under the Partidong Bagong Maharlika, through which he will “start the rebirth of Manila”, even branding himself as the “Renaissance Man”. He has amassed immense support, particularly from students, as seen on the comments section.

According to him, the numerous exposure he’s had with the “hard core reality of the City of Manila,” while working at Asian Social Institute on Organizing Community Drama and the National Housing Authority (Tondo Foreshore Development Project) has moved him to run for the position.

“With everything I see around me, I am motivated to jump into the dirty cesspool of politics even though I am not a politician. I felt that there has got to be a change…a magnanimous change.” Thus, when the Partidong Bagong Maharlika was organized, its presidential candidate Juanita Mendoza Trocenio, who was also the boss of De La Cruz’s wife, nominated him as candidate for mayor.

“It took a lot of contemplating and soul searching before I said go,” expressed Direk, as he is fondly addressed, on taking up the candidacy. “But really when I see the sad state of the city and the harshness of life people and children [have] to live up to day in and day out, I felt like I should give it a try for moral reasons. I have to give change a try.”

However, Direk clarifies, “I am entering into the battle field of politics not as a politician but as a statesman and an artist. I know it will be like getting into a sword fight with bare hands. But if that is the price of peace, order, progress and development, so be it.”

His leverage in candidacy

Direk’s greatest advantage is that, as he repeatedly said, he is not a politician. He is instead a statesman who has rectified intentions of politicians. He knows what it is like to work from the bottom, and so he’s willing to help Manila rise above its present challenges alongside the Manilenyos themselves. Direk further emphasized that “we need the people actually experiencing the problems [for us] to understand the problem and to help find the solutions.” He admits that he is no different from most candidates, in fact, he’s quite ordinary. And although he may be “economically impoverished,” he is not “suffering from moral, spiritual and intellectual poverty”. Direk and all his supporters believe that this could make him a tough contender.

Direk’s platforms

According to Direk, the first of his plans to start the “rebirth of Manila” is educating the people about their basic morals. “Example would be the concept of choosing the lesser evil. Evil is one and the same…they are all equal.”

The second would be improving the school system, by providing all public schools with computers and free wifi as well as upgrading the libraries with updated books and book systems. The third is finding “means and ways to restore the Manilenyos’ self respect and discipline to help them regain their pride and dignity,” as Direk believes that change cannot be achieved if the people themselves do not take part in their city’s planning and development.

His fourth point suggests modernizing the hospitals and opening it to all people, regardless of their financial status. “A healthy population makes intelligent people thus a healthy society.” The fifth would be demolishing the culture of mendicancy, as according to Direk, gives nothing but false promises to people by selling their votes in elections. And finally the most crucial and toughest plan would be “cleaning the City of Manila, both figuratively and physically.”

When asked about the budget and the financial situation of the city of Manila, Direk made it clear that “it is [all just] a matter of priorities”. He expounded by naming several booming industries, educational institutions, real estate and healthcare units just to emphasize how much revenue the city makes. “The issue about Manila having huge public debts is absurd. If the taxes collected in Manila are properly accounted for there will be [more than] enough money.” He reiterated a couple of times that “[it] is a question of morals, values, and principles.” He believes Manila can be the Prime City again.

He continued to share that working at the College has also influenced his decision to run for mayor. “CSB has made me a critical/analytical thinker with the passion to listen to others’ perspectives. I learned to live by the Benildean core values, plus the trust that we do ordinary things extraordinarily.”