Doming for Mayor

By Jon Melegrito

Sometime last year, I was invited to Doming Samson’s retirement party at a Holiday Inn in College Park . His family and many of his friends, co-workers and drinking buddies were there to pay tribute. A long-time community leader and one of the founders of Mabuhay, Inc., Doming never gave a clue as to his plans. I suspected he’ll probably go on a Caribbean Cruise or play golf all day. And then it hit me: when we were running around with Doming organizing the Filipiniana Fair (and later the Philippine Festival) and leading the Philippine American Heritage Federation (PAFC), we were so much younger then. Full of energy and enthusiasm to do great things. Like “translating our numbers into political power” and “projecting our visibility in the American Mainstream.” They sounded good then. After the meetings, we’d stop by a bar next door and over drinks plot more conspiracies on paper napkins until the last call. And now we’re 20 years older. Maybe more. It must be true because in all that time, my daughter graduated from high school, completed college, got married and turned me into a grandfather. After reconciling myself with time passing, it made sense to me that Doming was indeed retiring – not only from his job, but from Mabuhay, from PAFC and from GWU where he had been teaching some business courses. The few of us who are still stuck with community organizing – his contemporaries, that is – are of course happy for him. And thankful for all he’s done. During the toast-and-roast, he was of course teased and torched as a “Ladies Man” whose charm alone will bring the world to his finger tips. Sorta like the mountain coming to Mohammed. But he took all the ribbing in stride, flashing that disarming smile which only belied those spurious charges that accountants don’t know how to have fun. That night, Doming had the last laugh. Doming’s retirement night faded into history. I found out later he’d gone back home to Bicol. I imagined him just taking it easy, making nightly excursions to Manila ‘s good time spots and hitting the golf links at exclusive country clubs. Imagine my surprise when I learned recently that everything I suspected about Doming turned out to be untrue. In fact, he has not been gallivanting and carousing till the wee hours of the morning. Rather, he has been getting up early and coming home late, visiting all 23 barangays in his hometown, shaking hands and kissing babies (real infants and toddlers, mind you), being mobbed by the young and the elderly and speaking out about change. Yes, change! Doming is running for Mayor of his town. That perked my interest in Philippine politics once again. So I found myself one Friday evening a couple of weeks ago, toasting Doming the second time. He was in town for a brief visit so Ramon Calalang and Bing Branigin, mutual friends and drinking buddies, organized a welcome dinner for him with a few friends at a Vietnamese Restaurant along Route 50. Looking lean and tan, and still flashing that disarming smile, Doming looked the part all right. The Candidate. Soon to be Mayor of his Town. The first FilAm to win public office in the Philippines . We hope. He promises not to be a “trapo” (traditional politician). He vows to rid the town of corruption because, as he puts it, “I don’t need the money, so I can’t be corrupted.” He is dead serious. The women love him, the young and the old and the … never mind. He’s got stiff competition, but he’s not worried. He’s cool, calm and collected. Now it all comes back: the PAHF meetings on political empowerment, the get out the vote drives, the Capitol Hill lobbying, the Filipiniana Fair and Mabuhay fundraisers, the late night drinks at the bar plotting conspiracies on paper napkins. Doming has learned his lessons well. And I was there, his drinking buddy, his friend, learning the ropes and cutting our teeth in the early days of our community’s empowerment movement. Doming has come home. Back to the town near the Mayon Volcano. It’s Doming coming to the Mountain, after all, not the other way around. Doming just might be the change his town mates in Bicol are waiting for. Good luck and more power to you, my friend. E-mail your comments to jonmele@aol.com