New Year’s Wishlist for Baras
Posted on January 22, 2008 by Herbert Joseph Carigma under Political Spectrum
I know it’s too late now to make a wish for Baras this year. Pero huli man daw at magaling ay maihahabol pa rin.
First is that it has been confirmed that though the fiesta will be celebrated this Sunday, Jan. 27, it will not be as merry as in the past two years. I talked to Mayor Wilfredo Robles earlier today and he said that the money will be spent instead for projects such as the new public market and creation of the town’s own Baywalk. (I’ll post the details later). I think that this has been the problem of the administration, and not only his’ but other local government units as well. They do not invest in the future, instead they focus on what could be enjoyed at the present. It’s like unprotected, premarital sex - enjoy now, suffer later. Had the government done this before, had they invested their money in education, uptraining of municipal employees and teachers and livelihood projects, things could have been easier now.
I was once asked by Councilor Ramon Matignas Jr. on what could I say from the repainting that the administration did on the old municipal building. I told him outright that it was a waste of people’s money and that the local government had always been concerned on projects that aren’t really needed. I could clearly remember his exact wording for the government projects - “superficial.” So my wish is for the municipality to think of projects that are sustainable and long lasting.
The past year was also the time for two elections - national/local in May and the barangay elections in October. I haven’t really had any time to hear any speeches of candidates in our barangay but I suppose that they said the same thing as the local politicians did. “Isang araw lamang ang pulitika,” and “huwag magbatuhan ng putik.” I’ve heard it once and I will still hear it in the future. The two statements presuppose that family ties of the candidates should not be broken just because of the elections. Whoever will say those statements will just eat their words. They never fulfill their promise that once the election is over, political bickering is over. To think that you will hear this not just on one camp but in all camps. If will have time, I will post the speeches made by various politicians during their campaign. To the administration, lend your ears to the ones opposing you. To the opposition, give an alternative instead of your plain criticism.
The third wish for this post is for the Sangguniang Bayan to be more formal in their sessions. Here you could see some of the SB members someone slouching, smoking and texting, all at the same time. I hope that they remember that they are voted to enact laws that are helpful to their constituents. No wonder when the presiding officer reads the agenda for the day, most of the resolutions/ordinances/requests are “deferred.”
That’s it for now. I’ll post some more tomorrow. I have to sleep early as I have to cover the Tanay town fiesta.