MEDIUM RARE

As an admirer of political scientist Clarita Carlos – and even if I were not – I agree with her sagacious opinion: Groom the young ones and see them shine! If Prof Carlos was talking about political candidates, I would guess she had in mind, without naming names, Mayors Isko Moreno and Vico Sotto, both of whom have a large enough fan base of their own. But with the reader’s indulgence, may I name just one soon-to-be politician while the rest on my Sunshine list are nonpols – they could actually be allergic to politics.

I base my criteria not on performance, length of service, or record of accomplishments. Speaking as one of millions of consumers of print media and broadcast messages and images, I use a simple yardstick: Appeal. In other words, personality, smarts, ability to articulate and be understood.

On top of the list is Karl Kendrick Chua, president Duterte’s economic planner. Accomplishments? This pedigreed TOYM awardee has too many, including a four-year stint with the World Bank, during which he studied Marawi’s and Tawi-Tawi’s prospects for jobs and overcoming poverty. In DOF, he was Secretary Dominguez’s strategic adviser. He speaks well and clearly, no obfuscation, no intention to overwhelm the listener with his esoteric knowledge, so much so that bad news is delivered with a cushion.

Edson Guido, ABS-CBN data analytics, is 30 years young and carries a head full of COVID-19 numbers, graphs, and data that would drown a 60-year-old mathistician. On TV, Edson interprets the big numbers and reduces them to small bites that can be easily digested by a 12- or 82-year-old.

Dr. Sterling Tiu has developed a nasal and mouth spray with VCO and lagundi as its active ingredients against coronavirus. He’s only 24! Will it take DOST 20 years to give his invention the green light?

The only politician-to-be in this list is Mark Villar, who’s such a decent guy that when he gave his farewell speech on his last day at DPWH, he thanked his co-workers and never once asked them to vote for him in 2022. Following his awesome stint in Build Build Build, Mark the builder is sure to make his mark in the Senate as a planner and doer, no need for horns and whistles.