ONE is the straightforward head of the Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the other the no-nonsense leader of the powerful swing vote in the House of Representative, the coalition of party-list representatives.

Two are upright gentlemen otherwise differentiated by their specific fields of concern in the pursuit of public service, one largely in the government anti-insurgency campaign and the other in creating legislation for the good of the country’s disadvantaged: Solcom Chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. and House Deputy Speaker Michael Romero.