By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

 ALLOW me to share names of wannabe senators who I know will make a difference for us given their track records.

Of course, Alan Cayetano (14)! For good governance, livelihood and education.

Consider:

Harry Roque (54) for justice, international, domestic laws.

Minguita Padilla (48) for health and women’s rights

Gilberto Teodoro (57) for security and technology.

JV Ejercito (22) for economy and health.

Loren Legarda (40) for livelihood and culture

Dick Gordon (31) local government and good governance.

Greg Honasan (33) for security and technology

Joel Villanueva (61) for education and sports

Juan Zubiri (64) for economy and agriculture

Mark Villar (62) for infrastructure and economy

Chiz Escudero (25) for local governance and education

Emmanuel Piñol (52) for agriculture and economy

Sal Panelo (50) for judiciary and laws

Guillermo Eleazar (23) for security

Cel Diokno (21) human rights

Lutgardo Barbo (7) for education

Robin Padilla (49) for federalism

Take your pick! Choose maximum 12…  it can be less.

By the way, be warned: Expected to operate before and during voting hours are saboteurs for some candidates that will distribute “codigo” mixing up numbers and names to confuse targeted voters. Help remind friends to keep their own “codigo” when entering voting polls.

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GRAFT CASES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. Dagupeños should welcome the series of graft cases filed against Dagupan Mayor Brian Lim and other department heads at the city hall not because they are guilty per se. That’s for the Ombudsman still to determine, not by the mere filing nor by the publicity that resulted from it. 

Mayor Lim is not alone in this dilemma. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and a number of city officials were also cited for graft over the controversial sale of the Divisoria market. 

The filing of graft cases against local officials not only gave the public demand for public accountability significance but these gave true meaning to transparency by our public officials in all towns and cities, both elected and appointed. They are made aware that the citizenry is ready to make them accountable for their every official act.  

Attempts for cover-ups by respondents, invoking political harassment, may serve temporary relief in public eye but can never diminish the impact of public documents as alleged.

Therefore, all public servants (mayors, vice mayors, councilors, department heads and personnel)- are on notice. It only takes one citizen armed with public documents to haul them, singly or collectively, to the Ombudsman… and the Sandiganbayan!  

There is the anti-graft and corruption law staring down at them every day and that should be enough to prod them to do what is morally and legally right for public good! 

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ANTIDOTE TO VOTE-BUYING. It’s too bad that our communities did not get a chance to listen and hear their candidates contesting mayoralty and vice-mayoralty posts expound on their views on their respective perceptions of problems and issues confronting them.

It is just as disappointing that our civic, professional and religious sectors in our communities did not see a town hall meeting important enough to consider helping organize these. Such an event would have set the precedent in years ahead that would compel candidates to be engaged in sober discussions and visions for their communities.

It’s the town hall meetings that will and can help neutralize attempts of politicians and wannabes that have nothing to offer, no qualifications to be relevant, but to bribe voters for their votes so they can be in a position to have full access to public funds.

Hopefully, a fresh mindset for genuine pubic service by qualified men and women from among the new voters this year will prevail in 2025, 2028.

It’s sad that many, in and among our communities, merely continued to look forward to cash, goodies and freebies, having a great time comparing notes on which candidate gave the most and the least, for their votes.

Bottom line: The politicians that bought, bribed and won are the ones that always have the last laughs on their way to the banks.

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REALITY CHECK. Here’s heads up for those inclined to “go all out” and campaign for their presidential candidate!

After the dust settles down on May 10, if you were one of the proud hardline supporters of either BBM and VP Leni, you will wake up to the realization that for all your emotional outbursts, bashing those with opposing views,  you find yourselves  suddenly alone, because the candidates never really viewed you as critical factors in making them win.

Suddenly, no one cares about your views but the tally of votes – the numbers! Numbers! You realize that whatever you believed in or wanted to believe about your candidate are suddenly irrelevant to the final determination of the winner… or loser.

The only consolation one might have from all the partisan engagements is to know that your vote helped make a difference for the winner. But if your candidate lost, there is always the thought that one day, you will be proven right in not voting for the winner.

So, take it easy on the campaign trail. No need to be argumentative… or lose sleep before May 9.

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MONEY IN TARPS? A creative entrepreneur can earn thousands overnight if he has thought out a plan to monetize all the campaign poster tarps.

All he/she needs to plan is how to collect and where to dump all the tarps within 24 hours before others beat him/her to it.

So far, the Department of Science and Technology has not come up with a solution to convert the millions of tarps that sprouted across the country into a useful industrial material.

But who needs the government when an entrepreneur with a good business sense can see the opportunity.

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