“Poverty is not even a hindrance”- Rodriguez
“We have proven that poverty is not even a hindrance to public service”, City Councilor-elect John Rey “Chow” Padrones Rodriguez testified during the “Tingog sang Pagsanyog,” FB Live Development Program.
Rodriguez discussed his humble beginnings and how he overcame many obstacles in life as a result of his poor upbringing. “I am my parents’ child with a strong mind and heart who manages to cultivate the good seeds of my ambitions despite adversity, poverty, and family discord,” Rodriguez said. He also told how, despite family strife, he lived a nomadic existence in order to pursue his studies. Rodriguez is adamant about continuing his studies, despite the fact that it will be extremely difficult due to financial constraints. He goes on to say that he only had one set of uniforms at the time and asked his aunts and grandmother for food allowance. “The Marbel 6 Elementary School and Conception National High School is a living witness of my humble beginnings, but I never thought of giving up. Furthermore, I used my poverty as motivation to work hard because I am determined to complete my education.” He said. Despite these obstacles, Rodriguez graduated as the elementary and high school valedictorian.
He was able to continue his education at Notre Dame of Marbel University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with a Major in English, grateful to the university scholarship. He lost his scholarship in the second semester, but he continued to study. “In college, I went on a lot of roller coaster rides; some family members even accused me of being overly ambitious because I enrolled in university, but I persevered because of that big dream,” Rodriguez said. He was accepted into the Iskolar ng Koronadal (ISKO) during his fourth year of college and was able to complete his Secondary Education course with high grades. To pursue his plan to take a licensure examination, he worked as a tutor and part-time radio reporter. “By God’s grace, I passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers”, Rodriguez stressed.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, recalled his successful beginning in the media industry. He stated that God has endowed him with communication skills, even though he was not expecting to work in that field at first, but he believes that his background in debate and public speaking, which he used to participate in, has adequately prepared him for the media world. His hard work and dedication had enabled him to thrive in a difficult job as a journalist. “I used to wake up around 4 a.m. for 7 years, but I was able to perform my job in the lowest and highest job positions I was assigned,” Rodriguez explained.
Rodriguez began his career as a hospital beat reporter for Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation before being hired by Brigada New FM Koronadal as the co-anchor of Councilor Elect Esther Marin-Catorce. “We live by the principle that service is our passion. As a result, we are not just isolated and concentrated in the four corners of the anchor’s booth, but we go down to the people, even in our private capacity, we reach out”, Rodriguez added.
When asked when his interest in politics began and who or what convinced him to enter politics. Rodriguez shared a story about how he developed his leadership skills and was molded. In fact, he began as a supreme student government member in elementary school and later became president of his class in high school. When he lost his bid for the SK Chairpersonship later in life, he was tempted to believe that politics was not for him. His desire to lead was sparked by his mentors, Mayor Eliordo U. Ogena and Councilor Catorce, after witnessing the deplorable conditions of his neighbors in Purok Aguinaldo. Furthermore, he was inspired to run by the firm belief that government leadership is for everyone, and that the vulnerable sector must be well represented in the Sangguniang Panlungsod by a leader with a heart for the poor.
Rodriguez recalled Mayor Ogena telling him something that inspired him – “Chow, Politics is the art of the possible, everything is hard before it gets easy”. Those words inspire him to pursue his desire to serve in the government despite his financial limitations. Rodriguez sees himself as the underdog among all the candidates from the party to which he belonged. As a result, his inadequate resources did not limit him; instead, he used his strength and courage to conduct a house-to-house campaign. Some friends also offered sponsorships to help. During the campaign, he faced a lot of discouragements, with many claiming that he will not win because he did not come from a prestigious family, but he persisted. He did not deny that he gets downhearted at times, but his passion never dies when he is focused on his goal of winning. “Life sometimes wins, sometimes loses, but the one who refuses does not win, and the one who wins does not refuse,” a truth he believes and clings to.
In June 30, 2022, Rodriguez was among the youngest legislators to be sworn in after garnering 41,602 votes. At the age of 28, he has a lot of plans and vision for his public service. He cited Isaiah 60:22, which states, “When the time is right, I, my Lord, will make it happen” with the firm belief that God is the one who bestowed upon him the honor of being elected City Councilor.
“You can expect a productive Chow Rodriguez in the Sangguniang Panlungsod because I will be present in all sessions unless there is an emergency. I will participate in all deliberations and protect the sacred votes of the people,” Rodriguez assured upon taking office.
Recent research indicates that the poor are more likely to be targeted for vote buying and selling. Councilor Chow Rodriguez, despite having limited resources and being unable to buy the people’s vote, demonstrates that poverty is not an impediment to public service. With perseverance and an unwavering desire to serve, one can rise to the highest position in the land.