THE MAYOR gets, before taxes, a P17,000 salary, plus P3,000 in allowances. He has no budget for extraordinary expenses unlike other local officials, so he spends for the coffee and biscuits he offers visitors. Lately, he has discovered it is cheaper to offer salabat (ginger tea) than coffee.

	MAYOR Marquez with his town's youth. [photo by Jaileen Jimeno]

Marquez's 2006 Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SAL) places his net worth at P2.9 million. He declared a net worth of P4 million in 2004. He has one vehicle, an Isuzu Crosswind, which his daughter gave him in 2004. There are visible indicators of Marquez's shrinking net worth. His herd of cows has been reduced from 50 to 19. His piggery has dwindled from 30 to eight sows. The roof in his house leaks. His wife relies on the money sent by their children working abroad for the upkeep of their home. That money, the mayor is quick to add, he does not touch. It is for his wife to spend — mostly on the food they need and to feed those who drop in to see the mayor.

Marquez says he has been offered bribes, the most memorable of which was P1 million for a land conversion. He says, "Inaalok ako ng pera, hindi ko tinatanggap. Sanay akong walang pera. Ang lagi kong sinasabi sa aking talumpati, kayong lahat na imbestor ay huwag matakot. Ang Mamay Ipe ay hindi hihingi sa inyo ng kahit isang pera (I'm offered money, but I refuse it. I'm used to not having money. I always tell investors in my speeches not to be afraid. Mamay Ipe won't ask anything from you, not even a single centavo)." He adds that Jollibee officials were pleased with the town's handling of their application to open a branch in Rosario, saying it was one of the fastest application processes the food chain had undergone.

The mayor does admit he enjoys some small, simple things that come with running Rosario: "Iyong mga inireregalo sa akin. Mga mangga, isang basket. Saging (The gifts I get. Mangoes, a basket. And bananas)."

Of course to many — even younger men — that may not be enough compensation for being perennially sleep-deprived, given his constituents' penchant to disrupt his sleep. But to Marquez, the math is simple: "Ako nga'y natutuwa na ako'y inaari nilang kasama. Sila naman kapag ipinatawag ko ay pupunta kahit anong oras (I am glad they consider me as one of their own. I know that if I summon them, they will come to me any time of the day)."

Marquez says he wants two more terms to see all his plans through. He is confident of another win. He often forgets his age and hits the campaign trail with the energy of a younger man. His worried supporters in remote barangays tell him there's no need for him to go from house to house, that they'll do it for him. "Sila na raw ang bahala sa akin (They tell me not to campaign anymore, that they'll do it for me)," he says.

In less than two weeks, this grandfather of seven will learn if he will still have to put up with little sleep, or if he will have all the time in the world to dream.