Guam - There's a brand new face on Guam’s political scene. Karlo Dizon officially announced that he would run for Guam's delegate to congress. Dizon will run as a Democrat against incumbent Madeleine Bordallo.
Guam - There's a brand new face on Guam’s political scene. Karlo Dizon officially announced that he would run for Guam's delegate to congress. Dizon will run as a Democrat against incumbent Madeleine Bordallo.
Karlo Dizon is new to Guam's political scene. This is the first time he's ever run for office and in his first bid for for public office he's aiming for Guam's delegate to congress. Dizon grew up in Dededo and graduated from Simon Sanchez high school. He has a B.A. in political science from Yale and a masters degree in comparative politics from the London school of economics. He served as an intern in the American embassy in Manila, worked in China for an international law firm and a clean energy NGO, worked for the Obama campaign, and interned in the parliament of the United Kingdom. However, before all of this he was born in Bataan in the Philippines.
"Before the universities before my work at the embassy before my work at the parliament I was a kid from rural Philippines born against the backdrop of rice farms and fish markets from palenke, that's how you say it in Tagalog, and from a home that was humble but was never short of love or the belief that someday through hard work we would be at a land of opportunity the land where America’s day begins,” said Dizon of his family's move to Guam.
Dizon says after speaking to many island residents he realizes that there is much frustration with the status quo as people are working harder and earning less. "We now have twice the amount of welfare consumption per capita compared to the national average we now have the second highest unemployment rate in the history of the island the person who occupies the only seat the only seat that we elect who has the power to influence national policy the power to affect national policy which in turn affects our everyday life our delegate in Washington has turned her back, has turned her back on us as the rest of the country and the rest of the world rapidly changes around her,” said Dizon from a podium during the announcement of his candidacy.
Dizon says he's disappointed with our Congresswoman's inability to have the caps on medicaid lifted, get adequate funding for compact impacts, get war reparations, and get a China visa waiver for Guam."Turn after turn twist after twist cut after cut our delegate in Washington scrambled press release after press release saying it was not her fault that there was nothing she could do and that someone else should be blamed instead,” said Dizon.
Nevertheless, Dizon says he has the utmost respect and admiration for both of his rival candidates Madeleine Bordallo and Frank Blas Jr. but he believes that's the politics of the past and it's time now for new blood. PNC asked Dizon what would be so different about him? Dizon mustered a short response saying, "Well it would be different if I was elected I can guarantee you that.”
Democratic Party Executive Director Carlo Branch was on hand for Dizon's announcement but he says the party will back whoever wins the primary. "We have no official position we are thankful to have them both and we are more than willing to let Democrats decide as well as we will decide also,” said Branch.
Dizon immigrated to Guam with his father Wilner, an engineer; his mother Lorie, a public school nurse; and his younger brother Paolo, who is currently based in California.