Mang Pandoy
Encyclopedia
Felipe Natanio was a Filipino
street vendor whose claim to fame was his role, under the pseudonym
"Mang Pandoy" (Mister Pandoy), as "the face of the poor" during the administration of President
Fidel V. Ramos
.
showed a video presentation of the street vendor's life circumstances before asking the candidates how they would address poverty, as exemplified and humanized by Natanio's story. During the segment, his identity was concealed under the pseudonym
"Mang Pandoy."
Living in a small shack in Commonwealth village in Quezon City
, Mang Pandoy's education had ended in the third grade, and he earned a living for himself and his eight children by selling vegetables by the street side. This earned him about Php50 a day. By 1992, however, he had gotten too sick to do even that, and was at a loss over how he would feed his family. He joked that he would be willing to be shot in exchange for Php 100 000, which would provide for his family's needs.
When Fidel Ramos won the presidential election
, the new president presented Mang Pandoy to the Philippine public in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) as "the face of the poor," promising him and other poor Filipinos a better life.
(now NBN 4), where he earned at least Php2,000 per episode. Later, he was hired as a consultant by the then Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives
, Jose de Venecia. These jobs were his last employment. He would later receive doleouts both from De Venecia and from the Quezon City
government but he was unable to make the money grow, and he eventually faded into relative obscurity.
, a symbol of the Filipino poor and, in the words of one news report, "an icon of token relief and unkept promises."
One commentator, expounding on the events that brought Mang Pandoy from poverty to fame and back noted:
Jaime Aristotle Alip
,CEO and founder of Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI) which one 2008's Ramon Magsaysay award for public service
, took note of the icon's death at a forum after receiving the award, noting the need for long term solutions to poverty in the Philippines rather than the dole-out approach that Mang Pandoy's story typified. Alip noted:
Since his family could not afford a burial for Mang Pandoy the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) eventually gave Php12,500 so that "the Face of the Filipino Poor" could finally be buried.
Although Mang Pandoy's symbolic role in Philippine history has been far greater, it has been likened to that of Joe The Plumber
in the 2008 US Presidential Elections.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
street vendor whose claim to fame was his role, under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Mang Pandoy" (Mister Pandoy), as "the face of the poor" during the administration of President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
.
The Face of the Poor
Natanio shot to national fame as the result of the 1992 Presidential Debates, where host Randy DavidRandy David
Randolf "Randy" S. David is a Filipino journalist, television host and a sociologist. He currently pens a weekly newspaper column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer...
showed a video presentation of the street vendor's life circumstances before asking the candidates how they would address poverty, as exemplified and humanized by Natanio's story. During the segment, his identity was concealed under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Mang Pandoy."
Living in a small shack in Commonwealth village in Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
, Mang Pandoy's education had ended in the third grade, and he earned a living for himself and his eight children by selling vegetables by the street side. This earned him about Php50 a day. By 1992, however, he had gotten too sick to do even that, and was at a loss over how he would feed his family. He joked that he would be willing to be shot in exchange for Php 100 000, which would provide for his family's needs.
When Fidel Ramos won the presidential election
Philippine general election, 1992
The senatorial election was held in the Philippines on May 11, 1992. This was the first general election under the 1987 Philippine Constitution. An estimated 80,000 candidates ran for 17,000 posts from the presidency down to municipal councilors...
, the new president presented Mang Pandoy to the Philippine public in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) as "the face of the poor," promising him and other poor Filipinos a better life.
Doleouts
Since Ramos had called attention to his plight, Mang Pandoy was presented with a number of new opportunities during the Ramos administration. He was hired as the co-host of "Ang Pandayan ni Mang Pandoy", a weekly television show on the government-owned television network PTV 4National Broadcasting Network
People's Television is the flagship government television network owned by the Philippine Government through People's Television Network, Inc. . Its head office, studios and transmitter are located at Broadcast Complex, Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City .-History:The country's government...
(now NBN 4), where he earned at least Php2,000 per episode. Later, he was hired as a consultant by the then Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives
Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives
The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines is the presiding officer of the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives....
, Jose de Venecia. These jobs were his last employment. He would later receive doleouts both from De Venecia and from the Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
government but he was unable to make the money grow, and he eventually faded into relative obscurity.
Death and legacy
At about 6:30 p.m. August 28, 2008, at age 63, Mang Pandoy finally succumbed to tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, a symbol of the Filipino poor and, in the words of one news report, "an icon of token relief and unkept promises."
One commentator, expounding on the events that brought Mang Pandoy from poverty to fame and back noted:
- Mang Pandoy, whose earthly remains had been logged in an arm stretch of soggy earth, was a prop, period. He was an extra in a political telenovela. There was no intent to make his life the anchor of a massive and inspired poverty-alleviation program, period.
Jaime Aristotle Alip
Jaime Aristotle Alip
Jaime Aristotle Alip is a Filipino entrepreneur, politician and the Founder and Managing Director of the CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions, a group of companies composed of a Foundation, a Bank, a Micro insurance, a Development Institute, and a Business Development Services, all established...
,CEO and founder of Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI) which one 2008's Ramon Magsaysay award for public service
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
, took note of the icon's death at a forum after receiving the award, noting the need for long term solutions to poverty in the Philippines rather than the dole-out approach that Mang Pandoy's story typified. Alip noted:
- "It takes three to five years to bring a family out of poverty. It takes another five to eight years to stabilize them because a calamity could come and then everything they've worked for could be destroyed. And then you need another five years to move them from microentrepreneurs to full-fledged SMEs. It takes a real commitment for change, for sustainable development."
Since his family could not afford a burial for Mang Pandoy the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) eventually gave Php12,500 so that "the Face of the Filipino Poor" could finally be buried.
Although Mang Pandoy's symbolic role in Philippine history has been far greater, it has been likened to that of Joe The Plumber
Joe the Plumber
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher , is a conservative activist, author, and commentator. A resident of Holland, Ohio, United States, he gained significant attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential election after he was videotaped questioning then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama about his small...
in the 2008 US Presidential Elections.