A daughter of tycoon Lucio Tan says she is defying the wishes of her famous father by seeking to become the first family member to directly enter the Philippines' wild world of politics.
"My family does not understand why I am getting into politics. (My father) does not really want me to run. His advice to me was to stay in the private sector if I want to help," said Vivienne Tan, an entrepreneur and educator.
Despite this, the slim, smartly-dressed Tan is throwing herself completely into the role of candidate, mixing with the weathered, sun-tanned street vendors and bus drivers whose votes she is seeking.
Tan, 41, is running in the May national elections for a congressional seat in a grimy, blue-collar suburb of the Philippine capital, a long way from the skyscrapers of Manila's financial district in which her father rules.
Her 74-year-old father, who was a close ally of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was listed by Forbes magazine last year as the second richest man in the Philippines and 522nd richest in the world with a net worth of $1.4 billion.
His business empire includes national flag-carrier Philippine Airlines, while he also has interests in banking, tobacco, real estate and alcohol.
Ethnic Chinese tycoons such as Tan have largely avoided running for national posts in the Philippines, usually preferring to wield power behind the scenes by providing funding to politicians.
But Tan said she had long dreamed of directly entering politics.
"I am an independent person. I have an independent mind and I know what I am doing and I know what I want to do with my life and what I want to do is to be able to serve," she said after giving a speech recently on the campaign trail.
Tan's father has long been a controversial figure because of his close ties to Marcos, whose dictatorship ended in 1986 with a "people power" revolution.
The government has for years been trying to prove that Tan's assets were ill-gotten through illegal deals during the Marcos years, but it has met with little success.
Vivienne Tan sought to distance herself from any comparison with her father and insisted she was not running to protect his interests.
"That's my father. That's not me. Leave all that to my father," she said.
"I can't do anything (about that reputation). All I can say is when I enter congress, they will know what I can do."
Tan attributed her independence to her experiences in the United States where she studied mathematics, computer science, fashion design and manufacturing. She also worked there in a law firm and a shipping company.
Except for a stint as her father's assistant in Philippine Airlines, she has also avoided getting involved in her family's businesses.
Instead, Tan set up business schools and worked on social projects promoting entrepreneurship in the Philippines.
However, while Tan said she and her friends were funding her campaign, she conceded she was prepared to dig into her family's enormous pockets if needed.
"If necessary, maybe I will approach them. We will see when we cross that bridge," she said.
Despite her powerful family name, Tan is facing an uphill battle in her bid to enter the nation's lower house.
Her opponent is incumbent congressman Vicente Crisologo, a scion of an established political family known to play rough in elections.
Crisologo spent five years in jail for burning down two villages that backed a rival politician in 1970.
"Even I'm a bit scared of him because of his experiences and his reputation," Tan said.
Tan has positioned herself as a reformer against a traditional politician she accuses of not truly helping the people of her district.
"It's time to trash the old politics that does not truly uplift and inspire the people," Tan told a crowd of supporters, most of them female market vendors, this month.
But political science assistant professor Gladstone Cuarteros, of the De La Salle University in Manila, said he doubted Tan's chances in this election because her opponent was so well-entrenched.
"The key is mobilizing voters and, in the case of Mr Crisologo, he started as city councilor and he has been very strong in that area while Vivienne Tan is new in the area," he told AFP.
"That area has a large number of urban poor and these voters will consider the previous help that was given to them," he said, citing the many times Crisologo resisted efforts to demolish squatter shanties in his district.
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