Zofia‘s graduation gift

Zofia Canlas. Twenty-seven. A graduate of De La Salle University with a degree in biology, major in medical biology. Now the newly appointed commissioner of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP).

Let’s talk about her work experience. In 2025, she was appointed chief of staff at the PCUP. In 2026, she became commissioner. Before the PCUP, she was the first nominee of the Batang Quiapo party-list.

Now, let’s talk connections.

Her father, Jose Marcell “Jomar” Canlas, is an assistant secretary in the Office of the President under Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

A father in Malacañang. A daughter in the commissioner’s seat.

Does that prove favoritism? No. But it certainly raises a question: what exactly earned her the appointment? The PCUP is no ordinary government agency.

It coordinates programs for the urban poor, accredits their organizations, and protects vulnerable communities against illegal evictions and demolitions.

We’re talking about families fighting to keep a roof over their heads, informal settlers struggling for decent housing, and communities facing displacement. These are people whose lives depend on government decisions.

Meanwhile, Canlas jet-sets across the globe, flaunting her luxury from Italy, Spain, France and Greece to the United States.

There’s nothing wrong with traveling. If you have the money, earned legitimately, go. Enjoy it. You deserve it.

She is reportedly set to earn around P2 million annually. Terrific. But the salary is not the issue. The issue is whether her qualifications justify the position.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro defended Canlas, arguing that dedication and sincerity matter in public service. “Kung magaling, magaling” (If you’re good, you’re good). Fair enough.

But where is the evidence of that competence? Where is the record? Where are the accomplishments?

True, age should not be a barrier to public service. But neither should youth become an excuse to evade questions about qualifications.

Canlas graduated in 2024. By July 2025, she was chief of staff. Barely a year later, she is the commissioner. That’s quite the express lane.

Does she have experience in urban planning? Housing policy? Community organizing? Negotiating with families facing demolition?

Has she done fieldwork in informal settlements? Sat with families who have nowhere to go? Helped resolve a relocation dispute?

Perhaps she has.

Then show us. Public office demands proof of competence, not a Palace endorsement of good intentions.

Castro says Canlas is familiar with the PCUP’s work because she served as its chief of staff. But familiarity is not the same as accomplishment.

The Palace should be able to answer these questions without hiding behind motherhood statements about dedication.

This country continues to struggle with weak governance and fragile institutions. Filipinos have become too comfortable blaming the system while ignoring the people who run it.

Institutions do not appoint officials. People do.

People in power decide who gets promoted, who gets appointed, and whose credentials deserve scrutiny. This is the democratic deficit we endure.

We are a democratic country, yet many powerful positions are filled without voters having a say.

That makes merit, transparency and accountability all the more indispensable.

Patronage remains a disease in Philippine politics.

What makes it particularly infuriating, even sickening, is the hypocrisy of those who condemn corruption and incompetence while tolerating the very practices they claim to despise.

They demand accountability from others. But when questions reach their own circles, suddenly good intentions are enough.

Every position handed out without proper regard for merit is an opportunity denied to someone who has spent years earning the qualifications.

Give someone who cannot drive the keys to a car and guess how far they’d get. Worse, they’d likely crash.

In government, the public bears the consequences.

When public office becomes a gift, a prize, an investment, or an inheritance, that is where everything goes wrong.

A commissioner’s seat is not a graduation present. It is not a family heirloom. And it certainly should not be an expensive training ground funded by taxpayers.

The government is not a place to distribute favors. The urban poor deserve more than assurances.

Zofia Canlas, if you cannot demonstrate the qualifications this office demands, please step down. Don’t be learning the ropes at the expense of the urban poor. Learn before you take the seat.

Shame on a system that asks the poor to gamble on an appointment it can’t justify. Shame, shame, shame.