SALAMAT GUID AKON MGA KASIMANWAS...

Thank you very, very much. Well, this is isn’t exactly the message I’d planned, but sure I want to say THANK YOU to all of you….

And I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you, to everyone who poured your HEARTS and your HOPES into my campaign last May 2007, who knocked on doors and made calls or send text messages, who talked., sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors…who invested so much in our common enterprise, who lifted Spirits of their Children and whispered in their ears, “ See, you can be anything you want to be.”

To my former classmates, my good friends, to the Barangay Officials, Social and Civic Leaders, Barangay Leaders, Family Members, Youth Organizations, Generous benefactors and individuals, telling anyone who would listen why you supported me. And to all those young INTELLIGENT voters, who casted their votes for me….my MANY THANKS for your STRENGHTS and LEADERSHIP.

To my family, especially my Mother and my daughter Frankie, you MEAN THE WORLD TO ME, AND I THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE.

So to all those who intelligently voted for me and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is UNYIELDING.

You have inspired and touched me with stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives. And you humbled me with your commitment to our municipality.

So many of you… from all walks of LIFE …women and men, young and old, rich, poor and middle class, gay and straight, YOU HAVE STOOD WITH ME.

And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth FIGHTING for.

I entered the POLITICAL RACE because I have an old fashioned conviction that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their DREAMS. I’ve had every opportunity and BLESSINGS in my own LIFE, and I want the same to all Jamindanganons.

I ran as a son who benefited from opportunities my mother and father never dream of. I ran as a father who worries about my daughters’ future and a father who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.

Now, on a personal note, when I was asked what it means to be a young candidate, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a young gay candidate , but I was running because I thought I’d be the best Sangguniang Bayan. But…….

But I am gay. I know there are barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build a Jamindan that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.

Let us…. Let us resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st Century in our Municipality.

I denounce in the strongest terms the habitual attempts to discredit and malign me by anybody because of POLITICS which is until now being hurled against me tactlessly with only purpose of distortion of truth and destroying my persona which I find it baseless conjecture.

And so the exhaustive issues goes on in this vein, ranting and raving against me. In my analysis, I can certainly say these are all negative spin and mental dishonesty foisted to everybody. Consisting of outright falsities, distortions of truth and gratuitous innuendo. To you all I say: You are a SHAME of this Municipality. And a black mark of our HISTORY.

The diabolic attempt to threaten and destroy me publicly constitutes desperate moves by unmotivated individuals whom I know is still very envious to me.

Having been goaded and baited beyond endurance, in response I declare: I HAVE NO FEAR. I lose the Sangguniang Bayan seat, I have loose my hard-earned reputation for a good governance and desire for a BETTER CHANGE, if I will lose my very life- I have no FEAR. I am beyond FEAR. The greatest fear I had was that politics might harm my family, and that I WILL NEVER ALLOW.

Human as I am, Yes, I was HURT, very HURT and disappointed with the turnout of the election. Not only for my personal satisfaction but because such turnout curtails and hinders my always desire of SERVING YOU unselfishly… Hurt especially to those who have helped and expected me to WIN…Forgive me, but I can not avoid to point out that the actual election process and results connotes bad impression into my LIFE realizing that joining into POLITICS is not all GOOD INTENTIONS but unfortunately it is swallowing hard ill and massive culture of malpractice during election our citizens have been doing for CENTURY with abuse from our so called LEADERS who acted as frontline in corruption, vote buying and other illicit and misdoings which a IDEALISTIC and NOBLE candidate cannot bare to SEE and swallow, much cannot forget.

Nevertheless, I HAVE NO REGRETS… the lessons learned and the experience it brought within me is more that WINNING. I just had to accept it. It wasn’t nice and definitely it wasn’t FUN, but it made me realized that you should really enjoy and remember the good day because you are going to deal with the bad days. I also realized that there is more to life than getting up caught worrying and dwelling on what was happened. Yes, I wanted to win that Election. Yes, I want to be successful in my supposed to be political endeavour, but there are worst things that can happen in LIFE that getting out for nought or for three. There is always DIGNITY in Losing and if I in the future same chance will be given to me, I will never think it twice with simple reason….. My desire of pursuing my advocacies aggravated with strong commitment for a better change for JAMINDAN is still STRONG and unwavering.

Hence, I choose not to look back because it will hinder me in moving forward but with fervent Prayers and hope that we will help each other to educate our Voters not to SELL their votes but instead vote INTELLENGENTLY and not only because of the P20.00 bills given by candidates.

Let us join hands in educating some of our voters on conscience and intelligent way of voting in order that they will gain back their DIGNITY and RESPECT for themselves. Make them realize that election is not only a one day bonanza but instead let us help them understand that it is more than the food, the liquors, the T-shirts that candidates are given during campaign period but it is our Children future is at stake.

Let us… let our conscience tells that we should not run for public office position when our only intention is to get salary from the government, or use it in our personal gratifications most especially if we know within our selves that we are not mentally, educationally equipped and without noble purpose of SERVING wholeheartedly…. Worst let us not make PUBLIC SERVICE our last recourse to help feed our family.

And until that day comes, you will always find me on the front lines of DEMOCRACY, fighting for the future.

To those who are disappointed that we couldn’t go all the way, especially the young people who put so much into my campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my GOAL , I in any way discouraged any of you from PURSUING YOURS.

As Winston Churchill said on taking office some thirty years ago: if we open a quarrel between the present and the past, we shall be in danger of losing the future.

Today our concern must be with the future. For the world is changing. The old era is ending. The old ways will not do.

Always AIM HIGH, WORK HARD, and CARE deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you’re knock down, get RIGHT BACK UP and NEVER LISTEN to anyone who says you can’t or shouldn’t go on.

Although we weren’t able to shatter the HIGHEST, HARDEST GLASS CEILING this time, THANKS TO YOU, and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the HOPE and the sure knowledge that the path will be LITTLE easier NEXT TIME.
So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself, If only, or, What if, I say, please, don’t go there. Every moment wasted looking back KEEPS us from MOVING FORWARD. There are many things we do not want in this world. Let us not just mourn them; let us change them.
Now, being Human, we are imperfect. That’s we need each other, to catch each other when we falter, to encourage each other when we lose heart. Some may lead, some may follow, but none of us can go it ALONE.

And looking out, I have never felt so BLESSED. The challenges that I have faced in that campaign.. are nothing compared to those that thousands of Jamindanganons face every day in their LIVES.

So from now on, I’m going to count my BLESSINGS and keep on going. I’m going to keep doing what I was doing long before the attention/s and intrigues and sometimes cheap talks ever showed up and what I’ll be doing long after they’re gone: working to give every Jamindanganons the same opportunities I had and working hard so that everyone has a chance to grow up and achieve his or her God- given potential.

Saligan ninyo.. nga PADAYUN KAG MABASKUG SA GUIHAPON ANG AKONG HANDUM nga kamo paga SERBISYUHAN kag sa GUIHAPON si RICHARD MENDOZA padayun nga maging TINGGOG sang LAMHARON KAG KABASKOG SANG JAMINDANGANON.




Mr. Richard Mendoza
Proud Jamindanganon