rat on one's own: kwentung baryu

There was urgency when I was writing this.  For the first time, I imposed a really strict deadline on myself otherwise this will lose its freshness and relevance.  I finished my first draft but missed my deadline by a day.  I found my first draft too long and verbose—a weakness that I can’t just rid of.  After initial editing, it was shortened substantially but still I’m not satisfied.  I dilly-dallied too much, although I would say on the side of prudence, and I missed my set deadline by a mile, before I realized it.  I really wanted this as factual as it could.  It was indeed hard to come out with a final copy.

As you might have noticed, the title is rehashed (see my earlier post http://raulgalangsarmiento.blogspot.com/2011/07/rat-on-ones-own_15.html).  In the original post, I wrote that I cannot be like most Kapampangans who would accept hook, line and sinker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s protestation of innocence on the graft and corruption charges she’s accused especially on top of the tons of evidence being unearthed just because she’s a Kapampangan—she’s one of us.

In this blog, I’m not only going to “rat” on fellow Kapampangans but on dear blood kin and my best friend.  Unlike in most of my blogs, anger is never present in this one.  I’m writing this because I want to see substantial reforms in the barrio where I was born and jumpstart meaningful and equitable development after the local elections at the end of this month.  And as an aging former political activist, I hope these reforms will form part of the people’s ammunitions to force genuine changes in our national politics, public management and governance.  This old man believes genuine reforms should be initiated and nourished at the grassroots—the barangay (barrio) is the basic political subdivision of the government—by practicing selfless, upright and people/community-centered governance.  To borrow from the ideology that exerted big influence on me as a political youth activist, our barrios should be our “independent guerrilla bases” where we’re going to shoot down our decadent and rotten national political and governance system—remember the recent brouhahas, Napoles, PDAF, DAP, etc.—to give rise to one that will truly reflect our national aspirations and pursue real development that will not exclude, or put at the bottom of the list, the poor and the marginalized.

Having laid the context of my blog let me say my piece.  As the popular local cliché goes, this is going to be “trabaho lang, walang personalan” (there’s nothing personal, it’s just a job to do).

Potrero is the north-westernmost barangay of the Municipality of Bacolor in Pampanga bordering the towns of Porac and Sta. Rita.  Because it was traversed by the Pasig-Potrero River, it was probably the most devastated by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 and the resultant lahar flows in the ensuing five years in the town.  Before the eruption, it can be considered one of the more progressive barangays of Bacolor although majority of the people depended mainly on agriculture for their sustenance.  Sand quarrying was barely given any attention then and it was an untapped revenue source for the locality.

The around eight-kilometer road linking it to the Poblacion, the town center, was concreted a few years after the devastation wrought by the 40-day rains in 1972, making it easily accessible.  Not long after, electricity came and effected further improvement in the lives of the residents.  Potrero was among the first to have its own functional health center, a concrete one-storey structure standing on its own fenced lot.  A registered midwife was stationed in the barrio as early as the 1960s and was primarily responsible to look after the basic health care needs of the people.

It was also the original seat of the Mother of Perpetual Help Parish before it was transferred to Barangay San Antonio under dubious circumstances.  I think the establishment of the parish was made possible when the landlord of the agricultural lands fronting the physical church structure unselfishly earmarked his yearly harvest share for the upkeep of the church and the priest—a trait our elected and appointed officials should possess.  Furthermore, it was the first barrio of Bacolor to have its own barangay high school, which was established in 1966, if I’m not mistaken.  Most residents of my age and younger finished their primary and secondary education in our barrio schools.  The Potrero High School also catered to the residents from surrounding barangays including those from the town of Porac, a role it still performs now that it's based at the Bulaon Resettlement Complex.

Children have to walk at least four kilometers of dusty roads in the morning to go to school in Barangay San Antonio and another four in the afternoon to return to their homes. 

Potrero of old was far from being an Eden but we fondly cherished it as the cradle of our youth, a real rural bliss compared to our lives in resettlement complexes today.  Many among us, therefore, had a long standing wish to see it rehabilitated and redeveloped—mibalik ing dati nang ningning (return its old glory) to borrow a battle cry of a former town mayor.

All the kapitans (barangay/barrio chairpersons) elected after we were displaced by the deadly lahar flows after the Pinatubo eruption in June 1991 should have adopted and doggedly pursued this battle cry.   This apparently was in the back of the minds of most kapitans after the huge avalanche that wiped out Cabalantian in 1995 (or was it 1996?), when many barrios started their rehabilitation efforts as the threat from lahars had abated substantially thereafter.

In the few times that I visited our barrio, I can’t help but be disappointed.  It practically lagged behind from all the barrios you’ll pass by from the Olongapo-Gapan (OG) Road (now officially called Jose Abad Santos Avenue—JASA).  They had longer cemented roads, if not totally concreted, had micro and small enterprises (SMEs) and had built more permanent houses.   Admirable undertakings were the holding of extension classes in Barangay San Antonio and the establishment of a green house in Barangay Duat where farming techniques were being tried and demonstrated.   All these developments occurred mostly in the last decade.

Given the glowing accomplishment of our forebears as evinced by my above narration, Potrero should not have been the “basket case” among the barrios of Bacolor.  If we are to follow our ancestors’ example, our barrio should be high up there in terms of rehabilitation and development.

Big gaping holes, some can enclose vehicles as big a Forward truck, are left unattended even if the rains had stopped.

Sadly, it is the incumbent kapitan, my nephew being the son of my first cousin, who’s taking all the flaks for the lack of development, or underdevelopment, in the barrio.   His critics were of course correct to blame him but they were, at the same time, wrong to single him out.  But that’s understandable because most of the people do not completely know the workings, powers, and functions of the officials comprising the council, including these officials themselves.  Otherwise, they know that the other members of the council, the kagawads or konsehals (councilors), are equally to blame. 

The kapitan truly deserves all the flaks since he’s nearing the end of his third 3-year term in office, in fact, he’s actually on his 11^th year as a result of election postponement in the past.  ELEVEN long years but he could hardly brag any worthwhile accomplishment.  And to think that Potrero was practically more “equipped” as it had more resources than other barangays for this.  During Among Ed’s tenure in the Provincial Capitol, our barangay was among those that regularly received checks, I just don’t remember if it was quarterly or semi-annually, from the provincial government as its share in the provincial quarry revenue collection.  In one instance, the shares ran into almost half-a-million pesos, I believed.  Most likely, its share has increased further as the incumbent governor, Lilia Pineda, reports bigger collection than Among Ed.    

I learned something was wrong early on in his reign.  I came to know this from my best friend during one of those rare times we have impromptu get together to enjoy our favorite pale pilsen.    This friend initially ran for kapitan but lost to my nephew and opted to run as a kagawad the following local elections.  He complained about the absence of regular sessions.  I told him that being kagawads they have the right to demand and force the kapitan to hold regular sessions.  I suggested that he’ll read the Local Government Code ( LGC—Republic Act 7160), which is considered by those in the know as the “bible” of local government and governance.  I think I even bought him a copy of the book so that he’ll be guided on the extent of his powers and in performing his duties and functions as a kagawad.  Despite all these, he apparently stuck to his belief that they can’t do anything unless the kapitan agrees.

Knowing this, I just can’t help but wonder how the council was able to come out with annual and supplemental budgets and other plans.  With this also, I don’t wonder why Potrero is tailing other barrios in terms of rehabilitation and development, most especially in service delivery to its constituents.  As the frontline in the government’s service delivery structure, what would you expect it could provide to its constituents when it could not even hold regular sessions?

This most likely is the reason that no General Assembly had been held in my nephew’s nearly 11-year reign.  I remembered that I reminded my best friend that the barangay council is mandated to hold Barangay Assembly “at least two times a year” [LGC 1991: Chapter Six, Sections 397(b)].  In his 11-year incumbency, the outgoing kapitan has never presented any “semestral report of the sangguniang barangay concerning its activities and finances as well as problems affecting the barangay” (Ibid).  At this juncture, therefore, he should have at least done this 21 times!
 For this old man, the local elections in three days’ time should be viewed in this context.  It is imperative that the in-coming barrio council should exercise its oversight function and look into where the previous council spent not just its Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government but its shares in the provincial quarry revenues as well as its own collection.  This leads this old man to ask, will the incumbent kagawad-candidates, as well former kagawads who “rested” for a term to legally run anew, perform this very important function given their roles in the previous councils if ever elected anew?  Will my niece, older sister and anointed successor of the incumbent, do this as well as review other acts of his brother if elected?  Or will her rival, also a niece, have the capability and fortitude to do this and won’t just sweep everything under the rug, so to speak, if she’ll be the one chosen by the people?   

With my best friend in mind, this old man believes that it is also equally important that the kagawads we’ll elect should be capable, independent-minded and should possess the fortitude to stand for what is right and good for the people.  We'll need such kagawads to ensure that the council will stand by the people. 

This old man, however, would be HAPPY if the in-coming council could just craft, implement and, eventually, mainstream the basic policies/ordinances, systems and procedures necessary to perform its fundamental role as the frontline in the delivery of basic services to the residents of my beloved Potrero in a transparent and accountable manner.  And that's a tall order for this old man. (30)