Life is a series of cyclical patterns unrecognized in real time but apparent when seen as a whole.

Attorney Maria Farah Z. G. Nicolas-Suchianco “Dimples” has spent the majority of her life in and around politics. From a very young age, she was inundated with politics, campaigning, and the rigors of the life of a political family. Her paternal grandfather, a rags-to-riches story, was the mayor of their town, Sta. Maria, Bulacan in the 1960s. Her maternal great-grandfather was the first governor of Bulacan. Her father became the mayor of Sta. Maria when he was 25 years old. He later became the vice governor of Bulacan. Her mother became the mayor of Sta. Maria after her father. When her term was completed, she ran for and became a congresswoman. Given the lineage and long history of their family’s involvement in their town and province, it was assumed that someone from their family would eventually throw their hat into the ring as a successor to their mother. Throughout her mother’s 6 campaigns (3 mayoral, 3 congressional), Dimples had been her campaign manager. She knew all the local leaders, she knew the strategy, she knew the system and the game. It was logical that she would be the next in line to succeed her mother in politics. She was not oblivious to the general idea of her succession, from her grandfather to her dad to her mom and then to her, all of this was in the back of her mind. The people wanted it to be her but she felt the timing was not right

I knew, then, at that time, I did not want it

From her mother’s last mayoral campaign in 1997, they were already calling Dimples, “Mayor.” “The pressure was already building and the idea of my succession was being floated. After that, I did not go back to Bulacan for a year to avoid the pressure. I knew, then, at that time, I did not want it.”

She had just given birth to her first daughter and she knew she wanted another child. The timing of the campaign was not going to be right. She would have to be pregnant and give birth during the campaign and the physical and mental toll would be too much.

Those in her family’s political circle broached the idea again in 2001 when Dimples’ mother was about to finish her third mayoral term. As predicted, the timing of the campaign and the election was not in sync with her personal timeline. “I was asked again to run for mayor when Mother was about to finish her third term. It was 2001, and I had just given birth to my second child. I was busy with my career and was hoping that my brother, Ricky, would take it up.” Ricky’s name, Ricardo Nicolas, was an inherited name from their grandfather and their father. The poetry of a “3rd” Ricardo Nicolas to pick up the mantle was obvious but he was still very young at the time. She told her mom “no” and they had to get another candidate. Though disappointed, she said her mother understood. As an aside, Dimples claims she most likely would have won.

Apart from timing, Dimples’ motivation to be involved was still alive. From the time of her mother’s first mayoral campaign when Dimples, still a 3rd-year law school student, her civic drive was awakened.  She remembers the first time her mother ran. “There was no man in the house and there were NPAs in the town I had to meet with. So, I had to meet with them by myself. It was scary at first but she didn’t have a choice.” It was all very exciting to her and the fulfillment she got from being involved and seeing the results of her family’s civic drive spoke to her. She speaks of her mother’s accomplishments with pride. “It was like that was what she was born to do. She was fantastic at it! During her 3 terms as mayor, our third-class municipality of Sta. Maria, Bulacan became first class. She was able to cement all the roads in our town and Sta. Maria was the envy of their province. She won a lot of national awards as mayor. It allowed her to win as a congresswoman.”

On this occasion, the timing seemed to have lined up better

Political supporters of her mother saw the same drive in Dimples and again, nearing the end of her mother’s term as congresswoman, Dimples would be asked if she would succeed her mother.

This time, early in 2008, her mother spoke to her about the family’s legacy, of what they were able to build, and what it would mean going forward. On this occasion, the timing seemed to have lined up better and Dimples was more receptive to exploring a run for Congress.  As preparation and reflection for her final decision to campaign, she went on a 4-day silent retreat. She already had the support of her family and other benefactors who were willing to help fund her campaign. However, she was also considering having another child and if she were to have another child, this would be her last chance to do it.

After 4 days of reflection, her realization was to continue the legacy. “With all the blessings that I have been given, I wanted to give back. And with my family, this is how we would give back. We had lots of scholars. Livelihood and education projects were helping and I wanted to serve the larger community outside of the law firm and the family. The family name was protected and the type of service we do is giving of ourselves. What we receive in return is knowing we have touched lives and have put people in a position to succeed.”

Unfortunately, a familiar occurrence reared itself

To gauge the political temperature and to become more visible, she would go back and forth regularly to Bulacan. She discovered that the Nicolas name still had considerable political clout. So, to further her political visibility, she informed her partners in GSE that by March 2009 she would devote her full time to this endeavor before the full election period in 2010. As the wheels of this political undertaking were about to roll towards 2010, unfortunately, a familiar occurrence reared itself.

As mentioned earlier, Dimples’ father was the mayor of their town and then became the Vice Governor of their province. Tragically, though, his term as Vice Governor was cut short by a heart attack. Upon his passing, a Board Member seat was offered to Dimples’ mother in the hopes that she would eventually continue the work her father started before his passing. The family implored their mother to finish the term because they all worked hard for it. Her mother was grieving and distraught. She was far from what they all knew her to be. It can be considered fate that during her grief, she found a calling that allowed her to realize her potential. “She was grieving for a year after the death but being in office woke her up. She returned to being sociable. She returned to her civic and religious organizations. When she started being a politician, she loved it. She blossomed.”

On February 22, 2010, a month before Dimples would have gone full bore into the political machine, her husband, Peter, suffered a heart attack. He survived the event but the stark realization of the circumstances and the echoes of her past traumas came flooding back. She lost her dad when she was 20 and he was 46. Peter had his heart attack at 43 and their children were 7 and 9 at the time. She saw her children crying and she remembered seeing her father moaning and suffering. While Peter was still fully supportive of her continuing her political plans, she decided against it. She remembered how profoundly her father’s sudden death affected everyone and, instead, chose her way.

“I told my mom I was not ready to be a widow as young as she was when my father passed away.”

I asked for a sign, but I didn’t ask for this

During her preparatory 4-day retreat, she asked God if this was really for her. She would also pray to her father asking if this is really what she should do. Coincidentally, It was the 20th year since he passed. “I am not a religious person. I have my own way of communicating with God. Most of my major decisions, I have a private conversation. This time I asked Him to send me a sign if this is really something I should do.” She left her retreat deciding to run for office, but she still had her doubts. Would she have the time to devote to her family, her firm, and the people? Was she short-changing one for the other? Would she have the ability to be a mother, wife, and politician?

She recalls telling her older sister, “I know I asked for a sign, but I didn’t ask for this.” The advice from her sister rang with stark clarity. “The Lord, and even Daddy, knows how hard-headed you are. You will really push for something unless you get a really strong, distinct, clear sign.” For Dimples, this was as clear a sign as could be had. She decided against running for office. “My mother reluctantly understood. She knows it’s hard to be by yourself.”

In the years following her decision, Dimples has still found ways to be civic-minded as her drive to help the people has never waned. Her family’s legacy is in education and livelihood projects so she hosts legal seminars and outreach programs to struggling communities as part of her corporate social responsibilities, including sponsoring scholarship programs She is still exploring possibilities in her sphere of influence; being a good employer is a point of pride for her. “Being a good employer has a multiplier effect. You’re not just affecting that one person, you’re affecting everyone in that person’s life.”

For Dimples, you cannot just erase the influence life has had on you and the influence your life has had on others. She feels a deep need to help, to be of service to others, to be relevant. “There’s always a need in me to reach out to help others. There’s a need to be relevant to others. I feel I have something still to give. I don’t want to keep to myself. It’s not me. There’s still a longing to be of service, and it’s not necessarily through politics. When you and your family have spent your life in service of the community and then you stop, there’s a void in your life that needs to be filled. You’re still searching.” A new cycle begins and a new path is taken but on top of the one laid before. (Interview and write-up by: Zeus Earl Roy D. Custodio Jr.)