RECENTLY, Commission on Elections Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr said on
Twitter: “The best way to deal with (these) ‘epals’ [is to] remember their
faces now and forget their names come Election Day.”
“Epals” are those aspiring
candidates or incumbent politicians who are represented by the pictures, names
and initials you see plastered all over the place.
Such names or initials are attached to government projects as if the
funds to realize such projects came from their pockets and not from taxes paid
by the people.
If Mambulaoans would be game to dance on Brillantes’ suggestion, we can
assume by now that would-be re-electionists CamNorte Governor Edgardo Tallado
and CamNorte Congressman Unico will never win in the municipality of Jose
Panganiban in the May 2013 elections.
Their handsome faces were recently the talk of many disgusted
Mambulaons, especially on Facebooks, following the sprouting of their roadside
streamers and banners announcing this and that public works projects,
congratulating new graduates from the Jose Panganiban National High School and
greeting the people on their coming baranggay fiestas.
These were attempts to promote themselves months ahead of the campaign
period, which starts three months before Election Day.
We can assume as of this writing that Unico and Tallado and those who
would be running for provincial offices are now readying to spread in the open
air above the road leading to the poblacion wide streamers bearing their names
and mug shots and patronizing Mambulaoans on their October 6-7 town fiesta.
Or maybe, they have done it already.
Don’t vote for these SOBs.
Funded by money from the “kaban ng bayan”, said streamers and banners
are nothing but self-serving attempts to embed in the public minds a name
recall that would become handy come election day.
It is most likely that the face and name – their faces and names, to be
exact --- they are trying to push into public consciousness are OVERRATED
compared to the actual social significance of public works and projects they
installed during their terms as public officials.
The voting Mambulaoans, assuming that they have not been bought a few
hours before they are to cast their ballots, would always know whose names to
write in their ballots: the candidates who have served their constituents --
when they were in office -- honestly, ardently, effectively, brilliantly and
promptly, with tender, loving care.
Whatever social projects and public works they delivered during their
incumbency – if ever there were -- would be more than enough for them to
deserve the winning votes.
Whatever achievements these would-be candidates etched around the
community would be monument to their humility as public servants, assuming that
they are indeed sincere and humble.
On the local scene, Mayor Dong Padilla doesn’t need to do this.
He got his banners and streamers well in place in many parts of Jose
Panganiban in the form of ribbons and ribbons, stretches and stretches, of
freshly concreted roads.
When Mambulaoans pass through these pavements on their way to town from
their homes in far-flung baranggays for their usual day to day errands, the
second thing that would come to their mind is: “It’s good Mayor Dong did his
best to cement this road … this was unheard of before him …”
Over the past several months, the JP local government built much-needed
facilities such as health clinics in one or two baranngays away from the
poblacion and classrooms; it is working hard to build bridges that are badly
needed in flood-prone rural communities, untiring in seeking funding support
from the powers-that-be in the national government.
Projects like this, although slow in coming due to funding constraints,
especially those that have to come from the national government, will always be
a reality, simply because Dong Padilla wants it that way, and this is without
“ifs” and “buts”.
The bottom line is that worthy projects that served the good of the
community – Mambulao for that matter -- are more than enough to sell the prime
mover of such a project, if ever he or she intends to run for public office.
Obviously, Mayor Dong will seek re-election.
He wants to see the fruition of what he started late last year – the
road cementing project across the municipality of Mambulao – a total of 81
kilometers -- which has obviously captivated beyond belief the educated, the
professionals and the ordinary Mambulaoans.
Right now, they are not interested in the guy who would want to
challenge him in the May 2013 elections.
And to those who have the plan to do so, MWBuzz suggests: they can go
fly their kites across Mambulao and make themselves “pogi” or fools, for all we care.
And to the voters, we say: Just don’t forget Comelec Chairman
Brillantes’ twitter: Don’t vote for these SOBs.
- A P Hernandez
For feedback, email ahernandez@thenational.com.pg and
alfredophernandez@y7mail.com
