Accounting for their first 365 days

Three hundred sixty five days have passed and the time for accounting by all accountable public officials has come. By accountable officials, we mean the elected provincial, city and municipal executives. They who promised the electorate what the latter can expect once elected. It’s the time to separate the men from the boys, the imaginative achiever from the all-talk-no-action mediocre, the “mabilis” from the “ma-porma” .

The state of the province, city or town address by local chief executives is a red-letter day for both the governed and those who govern. Just as important as the day they were elected and sworn in, the submission of the elected officials’ respective report cards is an affirmation of the trust relationship that was earned on election day. The voters cast their votes on their candidates’ promise that they would be accountable, that they would deliver on their promises to improve the quality of life in their communities.

They promised a vision, and the people deserve to gain from it.

The elected public officials, therefore, who submit themselves annually to public accounting, making themselves accountable for every endeavor that either or succeeded or failed, deserve the respect of their constituents. Those who believe they are no longer accountable once elected and that they can fool our people from the first to the third 365 days. But the time for the final accounting is inevitable for election comes every three years. They are the bunch who deserves to be remembered as the “tulisan”, never to be trusted with our votes.

A good example of an accountable official can be found in Governor Amado Espino Jr. In his State of the Province Address, the governor was extraordinarily upbeat because, by his own account, he did well. And, yes, on reviewing his litany of achievements, we have to agree that he gave the province a performance that he can truly be proud of. Judging from his report card, there is a lesson to be learned – it is having a political neophyte for a chief executive augurs well for the province. Bearing this in mind, it would serve him well to remember that there will be another lesson to be learned from his next 365 days as governor – whether he can be relied on to sustain his vision.

Yes, the governor deserves the people’s trust until he accounts for his next 365 days. Who else might follow his lead?

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