Posted by Ben Padua on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 9:24 am

    Two years ago, I wrote an article for Lapoguenio Perspectives, challenging and encouraging the young and old professionals of Lapog, both at home and abroad, to bring about change to our local government. It was entitled A Simple Challenge. Today, I am writing to remind our professionals about that challenge, for no one has taken up the challenge just yet. It’s an election year and there is no better time to do this. It is true, we each have our own destiny to follow, but wouldn’t you agree with me that Lapog deserves more from us than just a once-a-year visit? After all, it is in Lapog where we grew up, where we spent our younger years in the bosom of our families. Surely, we still have love left for Lapog, haven’t we?

    In this coming election, we have two mayoral candidates, three vice-mayoral candidates, and a group of people running for the council. The challenger for the mayor’s office is no doubt a professional. She left her post at the Department of Education as a District Supervisor to run for mayor in the last local election. During this campaign, just weeks ago, her husband was shot and died after a few days in the hospital. The candidate, despite her loss, decided to continue her campaign for one simple reason: to give our townmates an option, an alternative to “broken promises” administration, which has been in power for more than twenty years. On the vice-mayoral race, we have a lawyer for a candidate, another professional! This candidate is not a stranger to public policy making, for he is a member of the council himself.

    My challenge was simple. It was to have our professionals support each other in making sure that a better Lapog is achievable. These candidates that I mentioned are obviously qualified for the positions that they are running for. Now, the people of San Juan have better choices in candidates. The question now is whether the will of the common people of Lapog and its professionals prevails or the status quo would for another ten or so years.

    As a concerned Lapoguenio, I am challenging and encouraging our professionals, both home and abroad, to make every effort to help the common voter understand the importance and power of his vote. They must realize that the only way for change to take place is to do the very obvious, change the current administration and give way to new and real ideas. This can only be achieved with their votes – the real one, not the one that is for sale. Another thing that needs to be addressed is the common voter’s mentality. We know that the common voters in our country believe that whoever is running for office would end up doing what their predecessors did – enrich themselves. I believe that this is what the Marcos regime has planted in the minds of the common Filipino voter and it has turned into a full-grown tree that is rooted very deeply in poverty, thus, making the Filipino sell his/her votes even for just a thousand pesos; at least he/she has something to eat or play jueteng with.

    People who know better must not give up and must do more to help others understand the power of the vote and why it is one of the few things in life that are priceless. If the power of the vote can change a nation, imagine what it can do to a small town like Lapog. We also need to make our common voters realize that there are still sincere candidates out there and that all the voters have to do is look, listen, and, most of all, question. The voters need to give these candidates the time of day so they can present their plans and ideas for real change. Candidates are like salespersons, they have to sell themselves to the buyer (voter), not the other way around, and convince the buyer that he/she (candidate) has the best product (campaign platform.) The common voter must understand that a candidate’s platform must be based on one thing, and one thing only, and that’s the candidate’s aspirations, to see the lives of his/her constituents improve.

    This election, I encourage all concerned Lapoguenio professionals in Lapog and elsewhere to help the common voter, perhaps their families and relatives, recognize the difference between rhetoric and good ol’ sincere positive political campaign. They must realize that knowing the background of the candidate is key to making a sound decision. Finally, the Filipino voter must realize now that in order for real change to take place, he/she must open his/her mind and heart that real change can still happen and all they need to do is to allow real change to happen by going to the polls and use their power to vote – wisely. It is time to give something back to Lapog; she needs us now more than ever.

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    Filed under: May 2007, My town | You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.