Serving with Love and Empathy

Even before he joined public service, Malabon Vice Mayor Bernard Dela Cruz had long been called ninong for being a godfather of sorts. He being called ninong started as a joke among his friends in traffic enforcement after he turned down their invitations for six weeks in a row because he had to be a godfather
at baptisms and was surrounded by his godchildren at another time. He went along with the monicker, until fate led him to embody his new nickname when he moved to where former Malabon Councilor Lauro Borja used to live.

“He was a good councilor and people would go to him to ask for help,” Dela Cruz tells LEAGUE. People may have grown accustomed to visiting that house, but I was already the one living there. It so happened that I am the type who feels embarrassed to decline when asked for help. If I could, I would gladly help. That is where it started.”

The experience opened Dela Cruz’s eyes to certain realities. Among these are, that many
of his fellow residents needed help, and that being an elected official could serve as a way to directly help them. “A friend advised me that if I wanted to help more people, I should run for barangay chairman or councilor,” he reveals.

The above realization prompted Dela Cruz to run for city councilor. He placed ninth in 2004 and seventh in 2007. Confident that he would crack the top 6 for his district which would .....