BY ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
WHEN Dino Yulo won as congressman of the 5th District in Negros Occidental during the May 9 elections, many raised their eyebrows.
No one thought he could “bulldoze” the former presidential sister-in-law and incumbent congresswoman Marilou Arroyo-Lesaca. But by golly he was the runaway winner in all six localities in his district.
He toppled the lady solon, sister of former first gentleman Mike Arroyo, with a convincing 42,000 (votes) as margin-of-victory.
Thus, Dino’s surprising triumph over Marilou was billed a historic feat.
The two knotty questions are:
* Who’s Dino?
* What’s with him?
I really took time to personally invite him for an interview.
Glad he said yes.
After a 48-minute one-on-one interview with “Ang Probinsya suBONG” on Radyo Negrense, I have to admit I was stunned. With all candidness, I can say he’s intelligently “swak” for the House of Representatives. Yes, his wisdoms are definitely superb. Both his personal and political insights on “everything under the sun” are truly beyond excellence.
PERENNIAL LOSER
Dino was once a No. 1 provincial board member who eventually became vice governor due to the unexpected demise of then governor Joseph Marañon in 2009.
But that time, he wasn’t that excellent yet. I used to cover the Capitol Beat before and I interviewed him several times and for me, he was just among the “above average” politicians.
After his Capitol stint, Dino ran for Congress in the 5th District four times but ended up a perennial loser. Then, he landed at the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) as one of the top honchos. But he was not a “head-turner” still. Thus, during the filing of Certificate of Candidacy (CoC) in October 2021, no one thought he’ll gonna run anew for Congress.
But he eventually surprised everyone, especially the media, when he filed his CoC “last minute” of Oct. 8 (last day of filing).
Again, he shied from the legacy media. Instead, he ventured more on social media, especially on Facebook (FB) with his daily campaign sorties on the remotest areas in the 5th District. But, still, he was a classic “underdog”. So no one believed he would defeat Marilou.
When he was proclaimed winner by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on May 10, almost everyone in the media were caught in their “stillness”. Everyone’s question then: Nagda-og siya?
MORE PERSONABLE
But talking to Dino now, it is as if you’re facing former US President Bill Clinton, an all-around speaker among the American presidents.
Dino speaks spontaneously. Really, he’s an eloquent speaker, but more personable now. He discusses things/issues with lilt and substance. Both in Hiligaynon and English, he’s “unstoppable”.
And I really, really admired his wisdom when I asked him regarding peace and order in the 5th District, known as the “hotbed” of insurgency in Negros still.
His simple but candid reply: “Politics of the stomach” is the best solution!
I was speechless. But I still sought from him further explanation. And he said, “no one will be up in arms with busog ang tiyan.”
But Dino added, “Everything must start with good roads…Because with good roads, there’ll be development then progress then peace.”
OUT-OF-THE-BOX
Testing more his acuity, I asked him about the current sugar issue. Dino’s view was straightforward: “It just started on wrong footing and timing…But we need (now) to walk the extra mile to look for a win-win solution.”
The next two weeks, he asserted, would be something “critical”, thus “we need to flood the market with sugar.”
As to his planned livelihood projects in the 5th District, Dino quipped, “Mine will be something out-of-the-box”. But he vowed to steer his district into a more “livable” place.
Too, he’ll focus on agriculture and tourism developments with a bit of concentration on rice and vegetable farming as well as on bamboo industry.
Constructing more farm-to-market roads (FMRs) will also take center stage in the 5th District during his incumbency.
And that he “wishes” to open a portal of development(s) between the Occidental and Oriental sides of Negros Island.
That’s why he’ll also support a legislative move to push anew the creation of Negros Island Region (NIR).
As to the issue on Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in the 5th District, Dino has an “unequivocal” reasoning.
“The agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) still need to be taught on financial literary and managerial skills leading to competence and capability in managing their farms.”
Witty, as in!
Well, I really don’t know what made him “sharp” now. Maybe his being a four-time mislaying contender for Congress taught him lots of valuable lessons.
And these lessons, perhaps, polished him more to become the new “Dino of Quinto Distrito”.
Hence, people in the 5th District are somehow correct in choosing him now as their new representative in Congress.
With his intellectual prowess plus political maturity, I am sure he’ll deliver what’s expected of him.
And with his soon-to-be “raffish style” of public service, no doubt, he’ll gonna be one of the “indomitable” public servants in Negros.
Above all, Dino’s “never-say-die” mantra will surely propel him to “greatness beyond measure”./PN
