what now, potrero?

There’s an English saying which goes: “strike while the iron is hot”.  This obviously refers to the forging or shaping of metal.  Can you imagine how you can shape a piece of iron into a sword or horseshoe, for example, if it’s not hot?  When applied to life situation, it tells one when is the best time to act or make your move.    Based on this adage, the most opportune time, therefore, to come out with a follow up to my earlier blog, “rat on one’s own: kwentung baryu”, is now so as to cash in on the interest of those who’ve read it.  This is also the most apt time to advance an alternative perspective on how to look at the past electoral exercises vis-à-vis our barrio’s long term-development, which might be taken also as this old man’s unsolicited advice not only to the newly elected barrio officials but to other barrio residents too who longed for changes and reforms in our barrio governance.  The dusts that were disturbed by the rampaging horses that were the barangay elections, so to speak figuratively, should have settled down by now to enable us to critically start to look into our barrio’s stunted development with the objective of bringing it at par with that of our neighbors.

Before doing so, however, allow me to make some disclosures.  First, I didn’t vote.  There was a rumour spreading around that a number of residents who did not vote were paid 500 pesos by a candidate to lessen the chances of her rival to win; this definitely was not my case.  Among other reasons, no one in my family could look after my 91-year old father while I’ll be away to cast my vote. 

 

Second, I still felt happy in spite of this failure.  The elections enabled me to link up with a few fellow barrio residents.   What made me happier was the manner in which this was made possible.  It was accomplished in a very unusual manner compared to what we’re all used to.  And it was through my above mentioned blog where the majority of the more than 400 page views were fellow barrio residents, I assumed.   This recent incident tended to support this.  An amiable lady, a bit older than me, suddenly embraced me tightly in the middle of the local wet market two days after the elections while I was buying some fish.  Without uttering any word, I knew that hug was her expression of appreciation for my article.

 With that lady in mind and others who find ways to relay their feedback, I decided that this will come out in both English and Kapampangan.

And now, back to this old man’s take on what is to be done after the barangay elections.   

Let’s start with an issue that’s a direct off-shoot of the recently concluded political exercises.  I must divulge beforehand that I am basically in no position to personally gather information that I needed and verify some that I’d heard since I can hardly leave home because of my care giving responsibilities to my father.  So, whatever I say here is practically based on mostly second hand information, or simply put, hearsays.  But as another cliché goes: “where there is smoke, there is fire”.  This old man thinks it’s prudent to address this now before it really causes irreparable damage in our local democratic institutions. 

 The rumored irregularities in the last elections are truly disturbing development, if true, and should be arrested before they can develop further and corrupt extensively our local electoral processes.  It also endangers the moral fiber of our fellow residents, particularly the poor and marginalized.  Based on what I heard, these irregularities happened mostly supposedly before and during the elections.

One of the most glaring of these alleged pre-elections wrongdoings was the padding of our voters list after suspected non-residents where able to register during the recent special voters registration.  This of course will not be possible unless connivance existed between concerned barangay officials and the local COMELEC office.  I was informed of this while I was vacationing at the Playpen (see http://raulgalangsarmiento.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-playpen_3440.html) and was initially briefed of the case filed with the municipal COMELEC office.  If I got my facts right, the Municipal COMELEC Officer refused the submitted list of new registrants that were alleged to be flying voters but had only chosen a few, a partial list, to investigate.  I still don’t understand the reason behind this decision to this day.  I advised those who visited me to avail the services of a lawyer, or seek the advice of the Vice Mayor who successfully handled the election case of the Magalang town mayor before seeking his present post anew, so they’ll be guided on the legally correct steps to take.

For this old man, it is incumbent upon the newly elected barrio officials to follow up the initial case filed and effect the purging of our voters list of flying voters as early as now.  This is no longer just the case of the previous complainant but of all the Potrero residents as well.  In the long run, this will benefit these officials, in a way, as this can somehow erase the cloud of suspicion on their possible complicity to this by taking this and other related actions.  To the original complainant, it is also obligatory on her part to see this through to its proper conclusion either in conjunction with other barrio officials or solely on her own.  This will be a much better invaluable service she can render not only to her supporters who believed in her but to all residents as well.  This will prove further that she's just as deserving, if not more, as the others who were elected. 

Because of this development, this old man believes the situation is rife for the formation of an organization of concerned citizens that will neither be for nor against the barangay council but will pursue issues independently from it.  We should have learned by now from the outgoing barangay council that the whole barrio could not just wait idly for their actions otherwise we’ll end up deeper in underdevelopment and as a local cliché declares “pulutin tayo sa kangkungan”—we’ll up in a pond of water spinach. 

While on this, the organization that easily comes to mind is that of the concerned citizens of the Province of Abra that serves as the people’s watchdog over their local governments, especially as monitors of various infrastructure projects and government finances.  It is not surprising that this organization is stacked with engineers, CPAs and other professionals.  From what I gathered from my readings, this organization keeps their local—municipal and provincial—governments on their toes and consciously aware that the people are watching over them.  It has been instrumental in keeping graft and corruption at bay although the province is a known bastion of warlordism and private armies.

Among the many roles that our own organization will perform is to jolt the barangay officials from their slumber and inaction and propose alternative barrio plans and programs, even ordinances, especially during Barangay General Assemblies, that is, if they’ll now be held.  During election periods, this organization should automatically transform itself into an election watchdog, like the NAMFREL or the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and guard against the various infractions against the Omnibus Election Code that were noted in the last elections.  It will also rely on our barrio’s human capital, which has been in abundance ever since as shown by the kind of development that Potrero enjoyed prior the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which won't be possible with just the council around, I surmised.  

This old man is volunteering his services to facilitate brainstorming sessions of these concerned residents to further crystalize and sharpen what this organization should be and in organizing it thereafter.  Part of his work as a NGO (development) worker dealt with organizational development and management and participatory rural/community planning.

And to the newly elected barrio officials, this is what I want tell you.  You should realize that the elections were just the run-up to your more difficult but more important roles, functions and responsibilities; winning the elections was just THE beginning.  This early, take the initiatives to review these in the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991.   If ever the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will conduct an orientation-seminar on this, take it seriously and don’t see it as an opportunity to see tourist spots in the country if ever you’ll end up in Subic, Baguio or any other places for this.

If you don’t heed this advice, ask yourselves how are you going to enact the role of the barangay:  “As the basic political unit, the barangay serves as the primary planning and implementing unit of government policies, plans, programs, projects and activities in the community, and as a forum wherein the collective views of the people may be expressed, crystalized and considered, and where disputes may be amicably settled” (LCG 1991: Sec. 384).

To the kapitan, you should know the extent of your powers.  That you have more extensive power than the municipal mayor, which is your immediate boss.  The mayor is only deemed more powerful than you are because s/he supervises the barangay governments and has the power to suspend you and other barangay officials.  But your office does not only have executive powers that s/he possesses but also the legislative powers of the municipal council, particularly of the vice mayor, as you’ll be the presiding officer of the barrio council.  But that’s not all; you also wield judicial powers similar to that of a judge as you’ll also chair the Lupon Tagapamayapa that is tasked to speedily and amicably settle disputes in the barrio.  Your role, functions and responsibilities, if you really intend to do them, appear daunting.  But these same powers will see you through in competently performing your role, functions and responsibilities, that is, if you will learn how to harness them toward this end.

I really have very little expectation in terms of accomplishments from the incoming barrio council, which I wrote in my last blog:  “just craft, implement and, eventually, mainstream the basic policies/ordinances, systems and procedures” toward ensuring the performance of their specified roles, functions and responsibilities.   Is it still a tall order?  Maybe, but only for people whose hearts and souls lie elsewhere. (30)