DON’T YOU THINK AS A DEMOCRATIC ELECTORATE, you truly deserve a higher level of political discussion leading to this mid-term polls? Our forefathers, starting with the brave,gallant Boholanos opposing the tyrannical rule of the Spanish ‘conquistadores”to the “guerillas” who fought with their blood in order to give us the birth to a new Philippine republic- deserve better than what the electorate is getting now.
The electorate deserve better than the current black propaganda in multiplied platforms and violent environment obtaining in some “hot spots” in the province even as the official campaign period for local bets will still be Friday this week.
For instance, a mayoralty bet was already ambushed killing his driver who the trigger man thought was the bet himself seated on the driver’s seat. The suspect was charged but was also murdered the day after charges were filed in court. A bad ominous start of this year’s election. We hope this is not an inkling for further bloodbath as we shall have put our Boholano political reputation in utter tatters.
Our local politics already has an ill-repute of being a “very expensive battlefield” for us to add anything as foolish as being a “violent” one. It is not in keeping with our Boholano penchant to honor our democracy by observing the ways of democracy.
Of late, 24 towns were listed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as under the “watchlist” category- that is almost half the number of Bohol’s total township,Watson.
Another report says some members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were seen again in some hinterland barangays of towns like Talibon, Batuan and Carmen. Let the authorities be more categorical with such nerve-challenging findings- for after all- we have crowed to the world that the province has been insurgency-free since the ending years of the Rico Aumentado era.
We must not be blind to the fact that the confirmation of such announcement could be regarded as partly a failure of intelligence, in the minds of some people, since the NPAS were, after all, able to regroup their scattered bureaucracy,as their claims admit.
Furthermore, if indeed true, it is alarming to people- to say the least – that the alleged marching order for the PNP (Philippine National Police) is to avoid these mountain barangays in order to avoid encounter with these former rebels. So as this is not to be mistaken as a “cop-out” ( a turn-off), the Philippine Army whose main role is to keep the insurgency off the Philippine map- must be dispatched pronto to these identified infiltrated places.
Word from the nation’s capital is that these insurgents find “election years” as their fund-raising campaign years as they allegedly do blackmail and the lucrative “permit to campaign” solicitation among beleaguered political candidates. If true, they should be stopped on their tracks.
The war on social media, meantime, has also heightened lately to fever pitch- with the charges and counter charges of “fake” surveys. The Holy name University (HNU) Research and Publication Center which has been conducting surveys over the past decades was charged to be releasing “fake” survey containing voters’ preferences of top government positions. One allegation charged was that it is “incomplete” as there were no results for the vice gubernatorial and the second district congressional races.
What was worse was that even the creditable Manila based Pulse Asia ( the other is the Social Weather Station) was unceremoniously dragged into Bohol’s political war when its alleged survey was posted on social media claiming results which were exactly the opposite of the results of the HNU Bohol Poll.
Now that Pulse Asia President Ronnie Holmes issued his disclaimer on the said Pulse Asia survey, it has become public knowledge which is the bearer of “fake surveys and fake news”, thereafter. This 64-ear old community newspaper was also caught in between fire when we were also charged of publishing the “fake” survey of HNU.
Not contented with this, a “Bol-anon Chronicle” copycat suddenly surfaced in the social media doing a close replica of the masthead of this paper, making it appear though like it is the Bohol Chronicle.
This escalating muddling of the truth like mass poisoning is not at all helping the electorate make intelligent choices since they will be proceeding under false, untruthful assumptions.
This is disappointing for the Boholano electorate since there are far more important issues which the people need to be enlightened as to how the next elected officials will handle them.:
*The major environmental concern involving illegal structures in Panglao despite the visit of DENR ( Department of Environment and Natural Resources) Sec. Roy Cimatu.
* The impending power shortage in Bohol which is a major issue raised very recently by no less than the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines who should know best about the real energy situation given its charter mandate. *
*The need to enhance our weak agriculture with operational and funding strategies to implement motherhood statements on finance, marketing, processing,insurance coverage, storage and their backward and forward integration.
*What about the embarrassingly exorbitant prices of fish and marine resources in Bohol, a tropical island surrounded by seawater and with many rivers?
* What’s the game plan to save Tagbilaran City and the neighboring towns especially Dauis and Panglao with the tragedy of having a low level water supply? (It was only after years of struggle with the bureaucratic labyrinth that a private water concessionaire Richli Corporation was able to finally break ground only last year. Why?)
*The worsening traffic and more desirable urban planning for an overachieving city.
* The need to fast track the turnover of the Bohol Panglao International Airport to a qualified private sector before the present facilities would deteriorate due to poor maintenance, And the ancillary support services that should be a useful adjuncts to an international airport to be worthy of its name.
* The real score on the internet speed and presence of relay towers in Bohol which remain questionable despite the much -publicized P600-Million investment of PLDT fiber-optics. What gives?
* And,of course, a more detailed program to sustain the campaign against drug addiction, including the much needed drug rehabilitation centers in the province.
Truth to tell, we earnestly hope that the candidates touch on these “gut issues” for Boholanos. These are far more important issues for the electorate would wish to hear rather than have politicians and their supporters fighting like kids over survey results or the actual number of people who attended a major rally.
Enough, gentlemen and ladies. Show more respect to our electorate,please?
For comments: email to dejarescobingo@yahoo.com or bohol-rd@mozcom.com