Editorial
Nothing personal
JUDGING from the last barangay poll in 2010, Pangasinan’s election supervisor, Atty. Marino Salas, said election-related violence is not a major concern in the province. But he did say the barangay election could prove delicate because it involves politics at the grassroots level and rivalry more often than not becomes personal.
Now this is where the voters must step forward to assert that the barangay election should focus on issues, not personalities. Trabaho lang, walang personalan. Make use of the nine-day campaign period to scrutinize candidates, no matter how they are related to you, about issues that concern your community. The campaign period is no party time which becomes an excuse for gift-giving and senseless tsikahan, inuman, kainan.
One common issue that must be uppermost in the communities’ minds should be peace and order and the eradication of rampant illegal drug trading, which is actually often at the root of crime and violence in the barangays. Candidates, both re-electionists and new brave souls, must present concrete, doable actions to address the drug problem in their areas as well as a realistic plan on how they can make their communities better. Re-electionists have an extra explaining to do as they must report how and where barangay funds were spent during their previous term – or terms. And talking about terms, Pangasinan ranked 5th around the country on the number of overstaying kapitans, meaning they have been in position for more than the maximum three three-year terms. Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials in Pangasinan have their work cut out for them during the filing of candidacies to ensure that these shameless power seekers do not get another chance. Rampant vote-buying is also expected and has in fact reportedly started in some areas, but this should not be difficult for local Comelec representatives to monitor in the barangays.
The barangay is the smallest but the most basic political unit — elections at this level must be taken seriously if we ever hope to break away from patronage politics and replace it with real good governance where there is commitment to duty, accountability and transparency.
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Difference is the same?
AGAIN, who said our country is poor?
Billions of government money are being spent on ghost projects and we are poor? Billions of government money are being funneled to ghost NGOs and we are poor? Billions of government money are being given lump-sum to senators and congressmen and we are poor? Billions of government money are being pocketed by a few as a result of the P10-B pork barrel scam and we are poor? Billions of government money are being wantonly doled out as gifts to Corona-convicting senators and we are poor? Billions of savings worth P72B by the Office of the President are being siphoned to the dubious Disbursement Acceleration Program and we are poor? How many billions more are needed to be exposed to prove that we aren’t poor?
A while back, a government official was bold and brutally frank enough to say, “We are a rich country pretending to be poor.” That guy was fired in no time. And it happened in Cory’s time.
Cory’s time, P-Noy’s time — the difference is the same?
