Mar Roxas and the Wrong Way to Padyak

Modes of transport have been used in the past as political communication tools. In 1998, former president Joseph Estrada rode a JEEP on the way to Malacanang. Former Speaker Joe de Venecia had his "jet" to spite Erap, but crashed with just 16% of the votes. He had his jet alright, but not enough gas to even land in NAIA.

And here comes Mar Roxas, seen pedalling a "padyak", a local, all human powered tricycle in a television commercial. First scene shows Mar inside the padyak, talking with the young padyak driver. Young kid had forgettable dialogue. Kid had to sing a song to delight his esteemed passenger, a senator.Then scene cuts with Mar Roxas pedalling the padyak himself and saying " let's continue the fight."

See the raison d'etre? I don't.

Look, for all these years as a legislator, it was only now that Mar wants to assume the driver position. For years, he, together with a band of legislators, self-proclaimed saviors and elite landlords allowed that boy to peddle his way to the dirty and dangerous streets of Manila. Mar, and those working for laws which we don't use in that "hallowed" sanctuary called the Senate, even had the gumption to glorify that kid pedalling a padyak, when, in other countries, that's plain and simple child labor. Is Mar aware that kids are not supposed to work until 18 years old? Is Mar saying that he knew this hard reality but it'll be just now that he wants to act on it, a year before the elections?

The very fact that he rode that padyak shows you how insensitive Mar is when it comes to this socio-economic reality. By riding that padyak, he made himself a party into this tragic invincible and socially acceptable practice of child labor. Why only now Mr. Senator that you want to replace that young driver?

It could have been better if Mar's commercial started with him pedalling the padyak, with those kids inside the trike. That would show that he has only the welfare for the masses. That would show that his heart belongs in the right place.

But, no. Mar began his crusade on the wrong side of the padyak. Imagine, after all these years of serving as our Senator, he was not able to provide a law that would help impoverished padyak kids go to school and off the streets?

Another thing---yes, a padyak is a symbol of Filipino ingenuity. Yet, it is also a stark symbolism of backwardness. It's slow, cumbersome and plain and simple, stupid to run.

Is Mar now saying that he'll use the padyak to symbolize his administration? That, it'll be backward, slow to act, cumbersome to many and simply stupid to run? Yes, many would argue that a padyak is the Pinoy's answer to global warming but if we are to use this as a symbol for our growth and development, then, we need to analyze our heads.

It could have been better if we saw Mar riding a solar or water powered car invented by a Filipino. Imagine Mar driving a mini-bus with a water-powered engine invented by a Pinoy, with a throng of Filipinos, representative of our society behind him. Or Mar wearing a racer's suit with the country's tricolors, behind the wheel of a Pinoy invention of a solar powered race car? That would have rocked our world.

But, no. Mar had to settle for a padyak to peddle his way to the corridors of power.