Crossover Confessions
Arjay Obguia, an only child, never met his father and was single-handedly raised by his mother in a small home in Barangay Pasil.
Despite the barangay’s notoriety as one of Cebu City’s most drug prone areas, Obguia saw Pasil from a different view: a vibrant community whose people thrived to succeed despite their difficulties in life.
Hoping to make a difference, Obguia was inspired to run as councilor in the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections of 2007.
He was then 16 years old.
As a young leader, he was exposed to the realities of politics and public service.
Meanwhile, in the island-barangay of Caubian, about an hour away from the Lapu-Lapu City mainland, Joseph Kevin Cabahug grew up watching his grandfather run the village as barangay captain for 11 years.
While he went to school in Mandaue City during his elementary years, Cabahug regularly visited the island with his family.
In high school, he attended the Saint Dominic Savio International School in Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City.
He was a fresh high school graduate at 16 years old when he was elected an SK Councilor of Caubian in 2010.
In the upcoming May 14 elections, Obguia, 27, and Cabahug, 24, aspire for seats in the Council of their respective barangays.
By crossing over to the barangay council from the SK, both candidates hope that the vibrant leadership of young people will bring about positive social change in the community.
DIFFERENCE
For Cabahug, his SK stint prepared him for bigger responsibilities in the barangay.
“With SK, I only ‘courted’ a certain number of the population. These days, I have to exert more effort because I have to court a bigger number. It is not just the youth but also those who are older than me,” he said.
During his stint as SK councilor, Cabahug, along with his fellow SK leaders who were also studying in the mainland had to balance their time between managing the island’s youth affairs and their studies.
Barangay Caubian can be reached by a one hour boat ride from the Angasil Port in Barangay Mactan.
According to Cabahug, the SK strategy then was to meet-up in the city and set dates for the implementation of their projects so that they can all be present and work together.
“It was a difficult arrangement at first. You have to weigh things but I always believed in (the importance of) time management,” he said.
He stopped school as an interior design student at the University of San Carlos (USC) when his father, had to undergo a gall bladder operation.
As the eldest of five children, Cabahug helped earn money for the family by working as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for three months.
He later landed a job as a customer service representative.
In Barangay Pasil, Obguia said the campaign has become more intense this time around.
“Several issues were thrown at me including the fact that I am young and I am gay. But I am out to prove them wrong … that my youth and my gender will not stop me from serving my fellow Pasilnon,” he said.
Obguia, a stage director and event organizer, was born and raised in Pasil.
He studied Mass Communication at the Cebu Institute of Technology University from 2011 to 2014, but had to stop schooling to help with his mother’s medical expenses.
He found work as a call center agent until his mother, Eulita, succumbed to diabetes in 2015.
The death of his mother pushed Obguia to concentrate on building a name in the Events Industry and stage direction.
Last January 14, Obguia was stage directing Sinulog sa Kabataan 2018 when news reached him that a massive fire engulfed the house that he and his relatives lived in.
PLATFORMS
As Pasil is known as the fish port capital of Cebu, Obguia hopes to make his dream of having a seafood and fish gallery and boardwalk a reality.
This, he said, will provide more livelihood opportunities for the locals.
“We can invite more people to visit in Pasil and they can see for themselves what Pasil is. This will hopefully change their perception of Pasil,” he added.
Obguia also plans to collaborate with the SK in implementing worthwhile and meaningful projects for young Pasilnons.
For Cabahug, his motivation to run as barangay councilor was fueled by the need to improve Caubian’s tourism management.
“I think it’s time that we use our resources and make some income out of it. Caubian is a very small island. This is the farthest island from the mainland and one of the poorest barangays. Fishing is the only means of livelihood,” he said.
Cabahug said the barangay can spearhead a tourism project hand in hand with an environment conservation platform.
Caubian has a marine sanctuary, an underwater cave and a white sand beach.
“If we properly manage our resources, make concrete tourism plans that are not harmful to the environment, then we can create jobs and earn additional income for the barangay,” said Cabahug.
Cabahug said his maternal grandfather, Romeo Matbagon who was the island’s barangay captain for 11 years, is his role model.
“If you go to Caubian, you will hear everyone praise him because of his kindness and work (ethics). He is an epitome of a great leader. He was able to keep the barangay clean and stop all kinds of illegal fishing practices,” he said.
The island barangay also faces problems on the lack of a safe source for drinking water.
“We have to come up with a plan to solve that. One of our plans is to find ways to access water purifiers and look for water source to supply it to the barangay residents,” he said.
VOTE BUYING
As May 14 draws near and with barangay candidates working doubly hard to earn votes, Obguia and Cabahug believe that some candidates will resort to vote buying.
Obguia offers a word of caution to voters tempted by the lure of money.
“It is just one day of pleasure… one day of enjoying the money. But if you voted for that corrupt candidate, it would mean three years of hardship because you will never get genuine and heartfelt service,” he said.
Cabahug challenged those aspiring to become barangay officials to win the fight without buying votes.
“If you are truly a good leader, you will win a fight not by buying votes but on the things that you do to people and for their future,” he said.
“Ang amo paglansar tinud-anay. Wala mi mga dagkong tawo nagpaluyo namo ug puro mi way sapi pero sure mi sa among serbisyo nga alang gyud kalamboan sa among barangay (We ran with genuine intentions. We are not backed by big political names and we do not have money. But we are sure that our brand of service will bring about progress in our village.),” Cabahug added.