AS SWEET AS CANDY

In the places that she visits, Quezon City (QC) Councilor Candy Medina gets welcomed like a movie star—with people carrying welcome banners and chanting her name, and groups of youth dancing to a hit song to honor her arrival.

“Kapag dumarating ako sa barangay, feel na feel ko ang love ng mga tao (Whenever I visit barangays, I could really feel the people’s love),” Medina says of her experience. The long-time QC councilor describes her constituents’ efforts as equivalent to mounting a variety show. “Sabi ko [sa kanila] ‘Masyado naman kayong production number! Eh, binigyan ko lang ng tent at mga upuan (I said, ‘You really went all-out with this production! I just gave you some tents and chairs).’”

In the years she’s been serving the city of the stars, Medina has won the people over through her performance as a public servant, particularly through the ordinances she’s successfully filed and the projects and programs for the marginalized sectors closest to her heart, such as the youth, women, LGBTQ+, senior citizens, solo parents, and the unemployed.

IN THE FAMILY
Observing how she’s so comfortable and confident in interacting with people from all walks of life, one wouldn’t believe that she was once a quiet young lady who shied away from politics.

“I actually wanted to be a dentist,” she reveals. “In my family, I am the only girl who was not exposed to people because of my .....