Jesse is dead. He is gone. That is the harsh reality of things. He was gone too soon. Naga will feel his loss more than anything else. And not just in the upcoming Penafrancia Fiesta where he won’t be joining the voyadores. He will also be missed in the upcoming elections as Naga starts to feel the dread of what will happen to his legacy.
When he left, it wasn’t clear to whom he passed his baton to. We hoped he will somehow be our leader for a longer time. We had faith in his reforms in the national government. We saw him as a beacon of light – a shred of hope in the hopeless Philippine political situation.
Yet now, we can only pray that the current political line up of Naga will follow through Jesse’s legacy. We can hope. But what if they don’t? Already, “epal” tarpaulins are on the streets. And a lot more similar messages. Already we know of vultures waiting in the fringes for the right time to swoop down and get their spoils. It seems they saw their opening now with Jesse gone.
Do we need a constant reminder who he is?
The real dread has just begun. Perhaps it’s not as clear now since we are all wrapped up in grief and in strangled cries of continuing the legacy he left. But to what will this amount to when 2013 rolls in? When the vultures begin their descent? When political ambition overpowers selfless public service?
Yes, Jesse set an example. He showed leading a town to prosperity was possible without resorting to traditional politics. Yet he was able to do so because he was not greedy for either power or riches. He was not after his own personal ambitions. He was after genuine service to the people. He really was there to serve. Can we say the same to those in power we have now? Honestly, I doubt it. I’ve had my close encounters with them and none came close to what Jesse would have done had he been alive and in the same situation.
Do not blame me for the bitter tone in the middle of everyone’s sweet memory. I am but basing my opinions on experience. I fear for my city just as I’ve always feared for my country. I can’t help the skepticism that flows through me now.
And who paid for this truck? Wasn’t it tax payers’ money?
Yet I dare hope. I take a step of courage as I write this, hoping it springs some sense into our public servants. I try to be brave as I seek to call out the glaring inconsistencies of public servants’ practices with the oath they swore and the legacy they vow to continue. I pledge to remain vigilant in observing their actions.
For me, hope is no longer enough. I’ve hoped for such a long time. Now is the time for action. Jesse may be gone but he set the bar and example for everyone. And if I have to suffer dire consequences for my vigilance, then I’m afraid democracy would have failed us and Jesse’s memory would have been nullified.
Of all the greetings for Sec. Jess I saw around the city, it was only in this tarp that the name of an individual appeared.
Sometimes in life we reach crossroads wherein the the path we are currently taking has take a sudden demise and we must choose another path. This is an inevitable part of life.
For Miguel Zubiri, his stint as a Senator has been tainted by doubt and controversies prompting him to resign from service and being dubbed as the first ever senator since 1987 to do so. At least, Zubiri still has a conscience. For indeed, how can a public servant continue serving the people if his own credibility is being questioned. In my opinion, he really didn’t want to be involved in all those cheating but he was included in the dagdag-bawas none the less. He thought he can get away it with, that is rather get away with it than try to oppose an administration which considered him an ally. Well, the tables have changed and his name is drag to the dirty waters. It’s time then to resign and accept defeat.
In the same light, I admire US Congressmen in particular those who were involved in scandalous sexual controversies. If you think about it, these seemingly noble statesmen just made the mistake of forging flirtatious relations with other women despite their being a family man. Posing semi-nude pictures were considered as a disgrace for these public servants. Faced with such controversies, they then stepped down from office even though they’ve had years of service behind them.
For me, these public servants had enough honor to know when the end is near and to admit defeat and resign from their office. Rather lose with dignity than pretend to be clean amid constant controversy. How I wish other public servants would do the same. But sadly, there remains many, some even in the highest echelons of power, who would never give up despite endless years of controversy. A case in example is none other than Ms. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself, ex-president and now congresswoman. Her name has been dragged into controversies after another ranging from judicial killings to nationwide electoral fraud yet she refuses to yield power. Rather than save face and lose with honor, she pushes forward, still acquiring power. Despite numerous evidences, court cases and massive protests against her, she remains steadfast in her goal to “serve the people”. But is she really serving the people if the people doesn’t want her?
Thankfully for these people, no one will hold it against them if they resign and do not finish their term. It would even be a welcome respite. But in the case of the corporate world, resignations when a contract has been agreed upon is deemed as a negative thing. It is basically unlawful to breach one’s contract especially when the only reason to do so is because the stress and pressure of the work was more than what was bargained for. To the employee, this should have been expected and anticipated prior to signing the contract. Often, resignations in this light are deemed as unethical and non-honorable.
The bottomline: before undertaking something like a job post, ensure that you got it through credible means, that while in the position you do your best to protect your credibility and that before you actually sign up for the job, you know all the costs (even the worst case scenario) involved with it.
Today, I admired Mar Roxas even more. When I first heard him speak during the Gerry Roxas Foundation 50th anniversary launching, I was already awed by the eloquence of how he delivered his speech. Furthermore I was awed by the sincerity oozing out from the person. I at once knew that he was a man of integrity.
After the event, and after having my photo taken with him – of which he was most kind to oblige to – I resolved to be more attuned to the current state of the country. Thus began my after lunch ritual of going to CRL (Church of the Risen Lord)’s office to have a cup of coffee while perusing the day’s headlines.
I can say that at that time I was updated with all the latest happenings in the country. And I owe that to the awareness created by Mar Roxas when I heard him give that privilege speech. Of course I did not only tuned myself to the country, I also tuned myself to the man. I researched about him and subscribed to his blogs (Twitter wasn’t yet invented that time or it was still relatively new, else I would have joined Twitter because of him).
Yet after he announced officially his intent to run for President in 2010, and when he started his infomercials, not to mention publicize his engagement to Korina, I began doubting his sincerity. Perhaps he was just like the rest – putting up shows for people to watch and know him. After all, he was inconsistent with the image he projects to the country and admittedly, the engagement announcements were tasteless.
At this point, disappointment crept in and I began to see the glare of the negative blogs about him. I stopped altogether caring about the person. Yet I knew deep down that I will still vote for him for President.
Now, he has withdrawn his candidacy. He has chosen country over self. And for that I admire him even more. His critics may argue that he was already losing, that his campaign was going to the drain and to withdraw is simply his attempt to redeem his plunking reputation but I beg to disagree. Yes, given the fact that his campaign was going nowhere and his ratings were dropping, to admit defeat is a manly and very courageous thing to do. Furthermore, to support someone who he believes will win (for whatever reasons, I can only speculate), is something that I believe took lots of guts and courage for him to do.
Considering that he has been very vocal about running for President, considering that he had received a lot of criticisms over his infomercials, considering that even his fiance has been accussed of simply wanting to be First Lady so she will marry Mar, I think it was really brave of the senator to step down and claim defeat.
He has set aside his personal ambition, his personal dream to serve the country in the highest position possible, to consider the country’s welfare. That for me is true public service. That for me is using your brains to see the nation prosper. That for me is sincerity at its best. Sincerity amidst a see of hypocrisy.
How I wish the other politicians will take heed. Don’t they see that the people are already becoming confused with the huge number of candidates we are asked to chose from? Can’t they unite under one banner – the banner of what they are fighting for. Mar recognized that he was on the same boat as Noynoy. If it was Noynoy who had more chances of winning, he was prepared to join Noynoy’s boat and fight the same cause. He wasn’t afraid to look stupid because he went against the norm of politics.
In our political system, it is so easy to break off and create another party if one is not chosen as standard bearer of his respective party even if the causes and reforms are all the same. No wonder, our country has a lot of candidates, under different party names, but basically fighting for the same causes. No wonder Erap is seriously considering running if the Opposition will not come up with one solid candidate. In fairness to Erap, I like how he thinks this time.
We still have time. It is but 8 months away till elections. I wish that the politicians will use that time to decide once and for all who they are serving – themselves or the country.
The Liberal Party is choosing between Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas for their Presidential Bet. Although Roxas was the first to announce his presidency bid, the recent death of the late President Cory Aquino and the tremendous support shown by the Filipino people for this beacon of democracy has made Aquino a contender for the presidency even if he had no intentions of running in the first place.
Now I am at odds who to vote for. Even if I am not entirely convinced that Roxas is what the country needs right now, he is still my best bet for the presidency. Well up until I am able to investigate further the other likely candidates like Villar and Escudero – if Escudero will really run for Presidency. Even with the 2010 Elections drawing to a close, I still haven’t given up my ideals that for a change to really happen in the country, we need to change the entire political system – have only two parties instead of the numerous parties we now have, change how some government policies work out, etc. But then reality bites, we cannot really change the system now. It is too late for that and even if we do so, that would encourage a lot of uproar in the society for that would further compromise the position of the current president. What if she somehow manages to really extend her term? There would be civil war, no doubt.
Then again, I know that I should really investigate these presidential hopefuls. It is my right to vote and it also goes to follow that it is my duty to vote wisely. Voting wisely means investigating for myself what these candidates had done and is capable of doing. Who are they really and what is their character? Are they really capable of the highest position in the country? How certain am I that even if they are morally upright now, when faced with temptations greater than what they have probably encountered before, they will not balk and give in?
Interestingly, I do not think that either Roxas or Aquino should be the president. They have done a lot for the country and they are morally upright but I do not think they have the capacity to rule the country – just yet. Maybe they should first be vice-presidents or something. In any case, I was talking to my friend today (thanks to GLOBE UNLI-CALLS which they gave to me for free), and I learned that Aquino lived in his parent’s house till the time of Cory’s death. My friend said Kris Aquino, in a statement she made in the Buzz, said that since there were a lot of memories associated with the old house, they will not allow it to be destroyed. She further mentioned that she is now allowing Noynoy to look for his own place, just make sure it’s not too expensive. Hmm. Interesting comment don’t you think? My friend and I then speculated if Noynoy really earns such a small salary that Kris is the one probably paying for his rent or expenses. Then again, a public servant’s salary is really small.
Another thing I’ve noticed, both Liberal contenders are bachelors. Well it is true that Roxas is now engaged and Aquino has a girlfriend, but then again, it doesn’t change the point that they were or are bachelors for a long time.
Then agian, I do not really think that personal lives determine a person’s worth as a public servant. I just hope that the next president will really have the capacity to turn the country around. I should start doing my research.
The Liberal Party is choosing between Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas for their Presidential Bet. Although Roxas was the first to announce his presidency bid, the recent death of the late President Cory Aquino and the tremendous support shown by the Filipino people for this beacon of democracy has made Aquino a contender for the presidency even if he had no intentions of running in the first place.
Now I am at odds who to vote for. Even if I am not entirely convinced that Roxas is what the country needs right now, he is still my best bet for the presidency. Well up until I am able to investigate further the other likely candidates like Villar and Escudero – if Escudero will really run for Presidency. Even with the 2010 Elections drawing to a close, I still haven’t given up my ideals that for a change to really happen in the country, we need to change the entire political system – have only two parties instead of the numerous parties we now have, change how some government policies work out, etc. But then reality bites, we cannot really change the system now. It is too late for that and even if we do so, that would encourage a lot of uproar in the society for that would further compromise the position of the current president. What if she somehow manages to really extend her term? There would be civil war, no doubt.
Then again, I know that I should really investigate these presidential hopefuls. It is my right to vote and it also goes to follow that it is my duty to vote wisely. Voting wisely means investigating for myself what these candidates had done and is capable of doing. Who are they really and what is their character? Are they really capable of the highest position in the country? How certain am I that even if they are morally upright now, when faced with temptations greater than what they have probably encountered before, they will not balk and give in?
Interestingly, I do not think that either Roxas or Aquino should be the president. They have done a lot for the country and they are morally upright but I do not think they have the capacity to rule the country – just yet. Maybe they should first be vice-presidents or something. In any case, I was talking to my friend today (thanks to GLOBE UNLI-CALLS which they gave to me for free), and I learned that Aquino lived in his parent’s house till the time of Cory’s death. My friend said Kris Aquino, in a statement she made in the Buzz, said that since there were a lot of memories associated with the old house, they will not allow it to be destroyed. She further mentioned that she is now allowing Noynoy to look for his own place, just make sure it’s not too expensive. Hmm. Interesting comment don’t you think? My friend and I then speculated if Noynoy really earns such a small salary that Kris is the one probably paying for his rent or expenses. Then again, a public servant’s salary is really small.
Election 2010
Another thing I’ve noticed, both Liberal contenders are bachelors. Well it is true that Roxas is now engaged and Aquino has a girlfriend, but then again, it doesn’t change the point that they were or are bachelors for a long time.
Then agian, I do not really think that personal lives determine a person’s worth as a public servant. I just hope that the next president will really have the capacity to turn the country around. I should start doing my research.
What is public service? What does it mean to be a public servant? And what would qualify one to be in such a position?
Reading an article in today’s Sunday paper, one would think that a major qualification to be a public servant is to be rich. Or maybe to be rich is one of the benefits of being a public servant. Doesn’t that sound a bit askew to the concept of public service? Not that I am discriminating against fortune and public office. It’s just that today’s article was really an eye opener for me. I guess I’ve known that most public officials in the high throngs of bureaucracy are rich but I had no idea that they were this rich.
The article I’m referring to is Delon Porcalla’s front page entry about the number of millionaires in Congress featured in The Philippine’s Star Sunday Edition (May 24, 2009). He said that only 4 of the 238 House members are non-millionaires. Imagine! That means that some of the country’s richest citizens are in the House of Representatives. Now, I have nothing against them being rich. I know that for one to have the machineries to run in the elections, one needs the money – and a large amount at that – to do so.
Yet what I am wondering about is how some representatives get to increase their net worth by millions while they are on office. Like Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo (Pampanga), whose net worth of P96.7M in 2007 rose to P99.2M in 2008 – a staggering P2.5M increase! Another example is Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo (Cam. Sur) whose net worth of P83.7M in 2007 rose to P89M in 2008 – a more staggering increase of P5.3M! Now how could they be increasing their worth by that amount? Perhaps they have businesses and other legitimate income sources just like the richest representative, billionaire Cynthia Villar (Las Piñas) whose source of income is her real-estate lands in various locations in Parañaque and Las Piñas. But one cannot help but wonder how these officials really get all their staggering wealth.
Again I have nothing against their wealth, but I also cannot help but wonder what would happen to society, particularly their constituents if they could somehow shower their wealth to the less priviledged members of their respective districts. I do not mean for them to simply spoonfeed their money to these impoverised residents, rather I believe they can create employment oppurtunities for these people – with the aid of their “hard-earned” wealth – and improve lives other than their own.
I even wonder where they really spend such enourmous amounts of money. On luxury cars and impressive mansions, perhaps. Or maybe on grand vacations and royal treatments at various high-end establishments. In short – on an engrande or high maintenance life style. Wouldn’t we all profit more if our public servants were just like us – simple common folk who would desire for nothing more than the improvement of the common public’s life?
Wouldn’t it be a better service if our public officials can just content themselves with a simple car model, a modest house and a comfortable lifestyle while serving the general public? Again I have nothing against mansions, luxury cars and high maintenance living. Believe me, I’ve also dreamed of such luxuries in life and I’ve also longed for them. Given the chance, I would live such a life. But if I were a public official, I wouldn’t dare lead such a lifestyle while I am in public office when I can see the people I vowed to serve surviving on less than a P100 per day while my P100 is not even enough for a cup of coffee. I will not dare live such a lifestyle if I can see the kid of my constituent going to school in tattered slippers while I go to work in the latest and most expensive SUV model.
Point is: I have promised this people a better lifestyle. They look up to me to improve their conditions. Does it help them any that they can see me getting richer, enjoying a pompous lifestyle while they experience poverty day-in day-out without seemingly experiencing the economic revival that I had promised when I assumed office?
They already have the wealthy showbiz personalities of our country as their source of escape into the world of the rich and famous. Must I join the ranks of those showbiz personnas? No wonder our political scene had resembled the entertainment industry. Politicians have ceased to be public servants but had become entertainers whose grand lifestyles serve as a fantasy world of escape for impoverished citizens. But unlike the showbiz stars, these officials had candidly asked for the votes of the masses and had embarked on their gullibility to bring about their own selfish whims.
Pardon my gripe about the riches of these public servants. I myself had dreamed of serving as a public official. I knew that I would need to get rich – immensely – if I wanted to pay for the rigors of the election process and if I wanted people to really know me. But I had never dreamed of using my wealth to improve just my own way of living. I had dreamt of using my wealth to improve society by providing jobs, giving out scholarships and improving communities. I had actually considered using my own wealth to finance most public projects by donating my money to rehabilitation of barangay health centers or local community schools.
I know it is a very socialistic and utopian idea – to wish for a society wherein no one is that rich and no one is that poor. Wherein everyone would be middle class because the rich share what they have with the poor. And I know this is how communistic or socialistic governments operate. And I do not really wish for such a type of society because of all the horrors and flaws I’ve heard about it.
But wouldn’t it be grand if we would still retain our diplomacy yet also have a socialistic/communistic society in terms of resources.
I haven’t taken up any PolSci course in my entire college years and my knowledge of such political systems is very limited. And I know that I might be speaking opinions on things I do not really know about.
But the bottomline is: I wish our public servants wouldn’t gloat their riches when they are well aware that they have impoverished constituents who had voted them in office in the hope that it will be them who would experience, even just a small fraction of increase – just a few hundred pesos perhaps, in their net worth before the year is over. That is if they are not head deep in debt already.
