*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM
The other afternoon, while passing through Antipolo City on my way to Teresa, Rizal, to fetch my usual siopao and pancit, I noticed something that made me slow down—not my vehicle, but my thoughts. Along the roadside were campaign posters. Familiar faces. New faces. And among them was Dr. Philip Bong Acop, alongside other candidates running for the vacant congressional seat left by the passing of Romeo Acop.
For a moment, politics felt very personal.
Only months ago, the people of Antipolo’s 2nd District had spoken clearly in May 2025. They chose Congressman Romeo Acop. The mandate was fresh. The trust was renewed. And yet, fate intervened. His passing did not revoke the will of the electorate—it merely interrupted it.
As I continued driving toward Teresa, I could not help but reflect. This is not about dynastic politics. It is not about preserving a surname. It is about continuing an interrupted mandate. The people were not dissatisfied. They were not looking for change. They were denied time—denied the opportunity to see the full term of the man they had just elected.
Dr. Philip Bong Acop’s candidacy, as I see it, is anchored on continuity, not entitlement. He is not stepping forward simply because he is the son. He is stepping forward because the mandate given to his father was cut short. The district’s direction was interrupted mid-course.
And what strengthens this position is that Dr. Bong Acop is not an untested figure. He is a three-term City Councilor who understands local governance, legislation, and public budgeting. He is a dedicated Medical Doctor whose profession itself is rooted in service, compassion, and discipline. His track record does not speak of inherited privilege—it speaks of preparation. In many respects, he is not only capable of continuing his father’s work; he is positioned to deliver services and satisfaction to the people at an even higher level. His qualifications make him, in my view, the most prepared to defend and carry forward that interrupted mandate.
Democracy, after all, has its built-in correction.
If he fails to perform, if he cannot meet the expectations of the people, there is 2028. The voters hold the ultimate authority to remove him and install someone they believe can do better. No office is permanent. No mandate is immune from public judgment. That is the beauty—and the discipline—of representative government.
But as I stared at those posters lining the road, I could not ignore another thought. Why the rush? Why the eagerness of others to immediately file candidacy for a position that the people had so recently filled? When a vacancy arises because of death, the first response should be solemn respect for the mandate that was just given. Instead, what sometimes appears is political hunger—the swift calculation that tragedy creates opportunity. To aggressively pursue the seat of a newly elected but deceased representative risks projecting bad faith. Democracy allows contest, yes. But morality demands restraint.
That is why when I later heard the news about Councilor LJ Sumulong, I saw something different. I saw a nationalist from Antipolo City who genuinely loves the city and understands the meaning of respecting an interrupted mandate. In moments like these, leadership is not only measured by ambition but by restraint. To recognize that the people have already spoken and to honor that decision even when opportunity presents itself reflects political maturity. It shows that public service is not always about stepping forward—sometimes it is about knowing when to step back out of respect for the electorate’s recent voice.
As I finally reached Teresa and picked up my siopao and pancit, I found myself reflecting on how politics, like everyday life, is about trust. The people of Antipolo’s 2nd District already expressed that trust months ago. What is being defended now is not a family’s claim to power—but the people’s original decision.
In the end, the posters will fade. Elections will come and go. But the principle remains: a mandate interrupted deserves the chance to be completed—subject always to the judgment of the people.
And that judgment, as always, will have the final word.
__
*About the author:
