BY ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
POLITICOS nowadays are into all sorts of gimmickries. For obvious reason. It’s because of the upcoming 2022 elections.
Traditional politicos (tradpol) or even the budding ones have started recruiting “digital natives” to man their social media, especially Facebook (FB) pages. Hence, early campaigning is now active on digital platform.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec), however, is quite “inutile” in curbing such. After all, there’s no specific statute banning someone to do a premature campaign on FB. So what’s happening now is just like smorgasbord or unlimited (unli) gimmickries-cum-poll campaigning by politicos.
But catching my attention is the consistent tsinelas (slippers) distribution of Vice Mayor El Cid Familiarian in different barangays of Bacolod City.
Familiarian’s team tsinelas on FB is in different barangays every day. Team’s beneficiaries: thousands of poor kids and adults. Quite good!
Speaking of tsinelas, however, it’s undeniable that one will quickly think of Korina Sanchez’s popular television show “Rated K”.
But I remember then the so-called “tsinelas leadership” by the late DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) secretary Jesse Robredo. He was hailed as one of the best local chief executives in the country when he was the mayor of Naga City because of this. It’s his legacy, no less, no more.
In the island-province of Camiguin in northern Mindanao, the Romualdo family has also this popular tsinelas project. School kids from grades 1 to 6 are their recipients.
Familiaran has his own purpose, too, why he is persistently pushing his one-year-old tsinelas distribution project to continue in Bacolod amid the health pandemic.
Summing up the above mentioned stories, it necessitated me to dig deeper into the politics and science (polsci) of tsinelas. Both Secretary Robredo’s and the Romualdos’ tsinelas stories are more on the essence of politics. That of Familiaran focuses on science’s facts and theories. All, however, are quite interesting with lots of lessons to be learned.
People in Naga City admired Robredo because he roamed around the city just wearing tsinelas. He undressed the norm the way people look at politicians’ basic grooming. By wearing tsinelas, Robredo was simply telling his constituents that he’s accessible anywhere, anytime.
But according to his wife, Vice President (VP) Leni, “For Jesse, it was critical that power was shared back with the people. And tsinelas was a powerful symbol of Jess’s desire to keep everything simple and to serve as close to the ground as possible.”
She also stressed that “tsinelas leadership” is also needed to heal the nation.
The Romualdos’ tsinelas project, on the other hand, is simply aimed at providing every school kid in their province a daily feet protection. Camiguin is one of the poorest provinces in the country. Most school kids there can’t buy school shoes so they opted for tsinelas. Worse, others go to school barefooted.
Thus, during summer, the Romualdos see to it that they can purchase in Manila hundreds of thousands pairs of tsinelas to be given away to school kids during the opening of classes.
And they ensure that no one shall be left out during the first flag ceremony of every school year. They’re doing this for decades already. That’s why when you say tsinelas in Camiguin, it’s synonymous to the Romualdos.
Familiaran has a different rationale about his tsinelas distribution gimmick. It is more on anti-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
First, it’s a sort of a gimmick to entice Bacolodnons to submit themselves to anti-COVID-19 vaccination. This, as the vice mayor lamented that, Bacolodnons were hesitant to have their anti-COVID-19 jabs because of fear of fall ill even after inoculation.
So Familiaran, chief of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in Bacolod, was doubtful then that the city could attain herd immunity on their target date.
Using his personal money, “Bakuna baylo tsinelas” was Familiaran’s first option but it wasn’t viable. Instead, he decided to go on with his tsinelas distribution but this time with deeper sense, citing available scientific facts aimed at saving Bacolodnons from the COVID-19 “madness”.
Yes, Familiaran is scientifically correct! COVID-19 is (now) anywhere. It can infect anybody regardless of age, gender and status in life. For poor families, therefore, tsinelas could be their “mighty shields” against COVID-19.
Having those for free (from Familiaran) is likened to a piece of “gold” that they (really) need to treasure in light of the health contagion. Roaming around barefooted, scientifically, one can catch lots of bacteria that can cause various illnesses.
E. coli for example can cause urinary tract infection, diarrhea, etcetera. Having tsinelas, one is quite protected. Though, according to a recent study published by Gulf News, it shows that COVID -19 can be carried by shoes or tsinelas. Yet, the same study says there are lots of remedies how to get rid of it or stay protected.
Just leave your shoes or tsinelas outside your home to avoid transferring bacteria to clean floors.
Dr. Liza Cross, a virologist in Dubai, suggests that it’s better to have two pair of shoes or tsinelas in going in and out of the house.
Wearing tsinelas every now and then can save someone from fecal coliform contamination, said the report from www.usatoday.com. Such medical theory is also applicable for anti-COVID-19 responses, said a local doctor in Negros Occidental.
History wise, tsinelas is a word taken from the Spanish phrase “Chinela” meaning slipper or sandal.
Tsinelas are pleasant to wear, affordable, light-weight, comfortable, convenient and, most of all, functional. Of course, they can be easily slipped on to the foot and worn every day for all sorts of occasions.
Thus, all the while, Familiaran is right. He has a simple rationale, yet brilliant in concept employing scientific proofs. Others, meanwhile, say tsinelas for political gimmick is cheap. But one needs to widen his or her horizon and look beyond politics.
Saving humanity from the wrath of COVID -19 pandemic is a magnanimous intention. Familiaran uses tsinelas as weapon to rescue Bacolodnons./PN
