Polibiz
The son also rises
In politics, it is always the father that first makes his mark and the son or daughter follows suit. If the father falters, it is the son or daughter that picks up the cudgels to sustain the family's 'unfinished business' in public service.
In many cases, the son would fill up the shoes of the retiring father and would go on to make a big splash in his chosen profession.
The case of Board Member Niel C. Tupas, Jr. is different. The eldest son of Gov. Neil D. Tupas, Sr. has been making waves in the provincial board mainly through his own savvy and intellectual stock.
Although he is the namesake of his father, Niel, Jr. has always shown that he is his own man and that he has no inclination to walk behind the shadows of his 72-year-old father, a grizzled politician for 40 years now.
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In fact, those who regularly attend the session in the provincial board every Wednesday afternoon would attest that Niel, Jr. always maintained his independence and is always brimming with self-confidence especially when taking the rostrum to deliver his privilege speech impromptu sans any hard copy.
If he is a flash-in-the-pan elected official who was catapulted into office mainly because of the popularity of his father, he would have performed dismally and would not attract gargantuan media attention like what he is enjoying today.
Popular or unpopular issues, Niel, Jr. does not give a hoot and would always rise to the occasion when time calls for his active participation in deliberations and interpretations of complex legal gobbledygook
Unlike other 'sons of their fathers' in politics, Niel Jr. knows when to open his mouth and when not to. He does not utter a single word solely to defend his father but makes his own in-depth analysis on issues that sometimes are not favorable to his father's administration.
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When he made a privilege speech last Nov. 2 denouncing the move of some of his colleagues in the minority bloc who filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the P100 million loan of the provincial government with the Land Bank of the Philippines, Niel Jr. did it not for his personal whims and aggrandizement nor to justify the loan sought by his father for the purchase of some heavy equipment for the Provincial Engineers Office, but for his personal 'malasakit' for genuine governance and efficient public service which would be put in disarray if the loan was held in abeyance and perpetually blocked.
Those who failed to see the wisdom behind the choice of words delivered by the young Tupas in his privilege speech only saw the trees and not the entire forest.
At this time when the Tupas family is being bashed by nincompoops pretending to be public servants, it is heart-warming to note that Niel Jr. is there to provide the sparks needed to scare the wits out of these charlatans in public service.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the son also rises.