Ex-TV journalist from Cebu who became state senator in Hawaii tells about her journey into politics
‘Trans-journos’
As TV broadcaster in Cebu City, in the early eighties.
Ex-TV journalist from Cebu who became state senator in Hawaii tells about her journey into politics
BY BENNETTE ESPINELI MISALUCHA
December 2022
Bennette Misalucha is a former Cebu television reporter who was born and raised in the Philippines. She considers Cebu her hometown, where she studied mass communication and worked as a journalist from 1980 to 1984. Based in Hawaii, U.S.A. for almost 40 years, Misalucha made history as the first Philippine-born Filipina to serve in a state senate in the entire United States. She was appointed in July 2020 as state senator of Hawaii’s District 16 following the death of its occupant and won the special election in November of the same year. SunStar Cebu featured Misalucha in a full-page Jan. 19, 2021 article by Pachico A. Seares.
She lost in the August 2022 primary election but her term didn’t end until Nov. 7, 2022. We can see she’ll “continue to do good”; one, Misalucha says, “doesn’t need a legislative title for that.” Her achievements in that field are recognized with the 2022 Banaag Award, the highest award conferred by the Philippine Government on an overseas Filipino for service to the Filipino community , as well as the community at large, in Hawaii. CJJ news-media magazine asked Bennette Misalucha for an update on her sojourn into politics, which must interest media workers: current practitioners and “trans-journalists” like her.
I distinctly remember the memorable conversation with my younger brother Benson in August 2020 as I sought his counsel whether to seek elected office. A few weeks earlier, on July 9, 2020, Hawaii Governor David Ige had appointed me as the new State Senator for Senate District 16 after the death of Senator Breene Harimoto.
The question I posed to Benson: Should I continue on this political journey or quit after the appointed term expires inr four months? His profound response has become my compass for the past two years and has given me the guidance, as well as the solace when I needed it most.
His advice belied his lack of political experience, as he stated: “Politics is destiny. There are people who aspire to it but do not achieve it. And there are people like you, who did not aspire to it, but received that calling. But it also means, you are obligated. As each door is opened, you have to go through it. But when it closes, then you know your duty is done.”
And indeed, I was blessed as doors were opened, things fell into place, and the necessary support and resources were secured which yielded victory for our team that November 2020. Being no stranger to hard work, we quickly immersed ourselves in the intricacies of lawmaking. The legislative work was often complex, but my background as a journalist had truly prepared me. Both involved absorbing vast amounts of information in an incredibly short period of time, then discerning what is important, and then communicating it back to the intended audience in more simple and understandable language.
Retro images: writing the news, with co-workers in news-gathering, and doing an interview, staple work back in 1980 to 1984 as a TV reporter in Cebu City.
Writing skills
Of course, writing skills also came in handy as floor speeches had to be appropriately crafted, often on the fly. The surprise for me was how much I enjoyed it. I have been a political observer throughout my career so to actually live in the milieu was exhilarating. I have always served my community in various capacities since I migrated here almost forty years ago but public service was, by far, the most fulfilling work I have ever done in my life. I truly felt that I was making a difference specially since we were in the middle of the global pandemic which had required us all to be more creative as we faced unchartered territory.
During the primary campaign: “I could not overcome the hurdle of name recognition.”
During my two years at the Hawaii State Legislature, we focused on early education, workforce development, digital literacy and equity and economic development for the State of Hawaii. Here were some of our accomplishments: 1) introduced 72 bills and 39 resolutions and passed 7 bills and 19 resolutions; 2) secured almost $42 million to improve our community and area schools; 3) as the co-convenor of the Joint House and Senate Filipino Caucus, achieved 100% of set goals; 4) initiated a number of community service projects which brought our constituency together including the Community Day at our Schools, Community Heroes Awards, School Supply Drive for area schools and Peace Day ceremonies for area churches.
It was heartwarming to see that our authentic and heartfelt desire to serve our community attracted collaborations and goodwill which resulted in these outcomes. After two years, we felt confident that since we have the support of most of our community leaders in the district, we can safely assume we can continue on this trajectory. The 2022 elections saw the redrawing of the districts as a result of the 2020 census and thus, all the legislative seats had to run for office. In the United States, one has to run in the primary election to select the candidate who will then represent the party in the general election. Our Hawaii primary was held on August 13, 2022, a day after my birthday and I was on the ballot.
Early education, workforce development, and digital literacy topped her legislative agenda. Misalucha with her friend U.S. Senator Mazie Hirino.
Unusual race
Ours was an unusual race. I was the incumbent and usually, with the anticipated low voter turnout (since it was a non-presidential year), the incumbent has the advantage. But I was faced with a young, popular opponent in his mid-30’s who had been a City Council member for the past eight years, and after the votes were counted, I lost by a large margin. The sad part was that he was Filipino-American and was a family friend. But such is politics and one has to roll with the punches. I could go down the list of possible reasons why I failed in my bid. I simply could not overcome the hurdle of name recognition. In hindsight, I realized I had relied too much on traditional methods of campaigning and failed to engage in digital approaches, including social media, and all to my detriment. My opponent canvassed the district and simply outmaneuvered me. Or, it could be that my brother was right: the door had closed, this was no longer my destiny and it was time to go.
It has been four months since the primary election but in Hawaii, our term expires on election day itself, which was November 7, 2020. Until the last day of office, our team continued to work on constituent issues. We wanted to ensure that when my successor takes office, there will be a smooth transition with no unresolved issue, or pending problem. To me, that was part of serving with integrity.
SunStar feature about the former Cebu television broadcaster
Doing good in the world
Where my next journey would take me, whether I will return to public service someday or whether I should give up on politics altogether —content in the knowledge that I had served honorably during those two years— these are questions I am grappling with these days, as part of my current discernment process.
In the meantime, I hope to continue with my advocacies, my service projects, my community building initiatives. As a person of faith, I had always prayed for opportunities to make a difference, to be an instrument to sow truth and light amidst a polarized humanity. After all, one does not need a legislative title to do good in the world. 