Unsolicited advice to Comelec
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
THE PUNCH feels it is its duty to support Comelec’s call to candidates to comply with its rules on vote-buying and mounting of legal-sized posters even knowing that its scare tactics no longer work on the candidates and their supporters.
Not only do the candidates scoff at the warnings but they laugh and ignore these like these rules were adopted to be broken.
Perhaps our provincial and local Comelec officials are already resigned to this negative image with the alibi that they are too short-handed to implement the rules.
But they don’t have to. Here’s some unsolicited advice that can put an end to their decade-old embarrassing public image:
- Brief and deputize the barangay chairman as its representative to implement the postering rules. After all, it’s the kap who designates the common poster area in the barangay and, yes, has enough manpower- tanods and SK members – to do as he bids.
- The barangay kap has eyes and ears in every nook and cranny so he/she can be held accountable for the presence of illegally mounted posters. A weekly press release issued to local media on the list of performing kaps in the city or town will be an effective motivation for the kaps and his team to be included in the list.
- A list of the violators will be published in separate press release, and a confirmation that the violators have been cited for 1st, 2nd or 3rd violations.
Our Pangasinan, city, and town Comelec supervisors may yet become the model enforcers and implementers of this interminable problematic rule.
Aaah…but stopping and arresting vote-buying violators is a different issue altogether. I have a suggestion for this as well but let’s deal with this in our next issue. I’ll solicit some suggestions as well for this serious problem that Comelec never dares arrest vote-buyers.
* * * *
FICKLE-MINDED COMELEC? Comelec, indeed, rules during the election period. A decision based on its established rules is deemed final, or so we thought.
Two weeks ago, Comelec decided that Urdaneta Mayor Julio Parayno III and his cousin Vice Mayor Jimmy Parayno cannot be suspended. It cited the ‘no-suspension’ rule during a campaign period and even pointed out that there was no basis for the suspension.
Last week, Comelec decided the two should be suspended because, based on the letter of DILG Regional Director Jonathan Paul Leusen, Jr. who argued that there was a basis for Comelec to suspend the two. He pointed out that, the suspension of the Paraynos should be considered to have been served before the election-campaign period that started on January 12 and, therefore, “valid and does not need prior approval from the poll body.” Hehe.
Now, it is DILG Sec. Remulla, not DILG Regional Director Leusen, who’s demanding that the two Paraynos vacate their offices within 10 days!
I’ll hand it to the team of Guv Guico for its persistence and diligence to make Comelec change its mind in a week’s time.
Meanwhile, the mayoralty race between an Urdanetan and a non-Urdanetan continues! Will the suspension work for or against the Paraynos?
* * * *
MEDICAL, LAW SCHOLARS. The proposal of Mayor Belen Fernandez to open new 1,000 scholarships soon as her team wins in May midterm elections is a novel program for the city government.
Her city administration is looking forward to new commitments from its scholars to serve Dagupeños in the medical and legal sectors. Anyone who chooses to take on the challenge to be the city’s scholar knows what’s expected of him /her. For that alone, that scholar deserves all the support from the business sector in the city.
This novel program will ensure that those who have less in life will always be supported by their fellow Dagupeños who are doctors and lawyers produced by the city.
This program will be akin to the Philippine Military Academy whose graduates are committed to serving in the Armed Forces for at least 10 years. The difference is the Dagupan scholar must serve Dagupan for a minimum of 2 years.
* * * *
SELECTIVE UNLISERBISYO? One unusually disturbing report reached me last week about how some department offices in Dagupan are conducting their operations business under the “unliserbisyo” policy.
For reasons of their own, these offices refuse to accept letters of requests or advice from specific individuals. Could this order come from one of Mayor Belen’s close circle who wants to put down certain individuals who are not to their personal liking???
Mayor Belen’s aides should know that this is not the time to incur ire of residents by denying them the ‘unliserbisyo’ promised by her administration.
* * * *
WHAT MARCOS LOYALISTS? Larry Gadon, a former Duterte diehard explainer, suddenly came out with a claim that PRRD couldn’t have made the presidency without the votes of the thousands of Marcos loyalists, not Duterte followers.
Recall that then Sen. BBM attempted to derail the campaign of then former DFA Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano as running mate of Duterte and formed his own ‘Duterte-Marcos’ ticket. It was the first time that a candidate illegally formed a ticket defying the established party ticket Duterte-Cayetano.
Anyway, I don’t understand how Mr. Gadon formulated fake statistics simply to boost PBBM’s waning political influence today. How could he make his assumption credible when the Marcos loyalists failed to make BBM win as vice president under its touted Duterte-Marcos ticket?
No wonder Mr. Gadon was ordered disbarred by the Supreme Court with his incredible attacks on justices. Now, his target are the Dutertes.
* * * *
NO ENVIRONMENT ADVOCACIES. I am in receipt of copies of the letters of balikbayan Pia Torio-Galapon citing her deep frustration over how our national and local governments perform to protect our communities’ environment.
She raised the issue about squatters in an area in Mangaldan polluting a creek near fishponds and called out for action from Mangaldan local government and DENR. Sadly not one has responded favorably to her request for firm action to stop the pollution of the creek.
She wondered if this is the norm and attitude among our government agencies, then Mangaldan will never earn a reputation as an environment-friendly town.
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
