THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. Since the polls were relatively clean and the national turn-out of voters at   a huge 81% – one of the highest in the world- it is time to accept the Voice of the People.

Oftentimes that  unhampered voice of the people is also  the voice of God. Every time we elect a new set of public servants- it can either prosper the people or it can  also be used to chasten and purify the people by making them undergo hardships and punishments.

God always works for our good- but it is up to us to respond in faith to God’s blessings or chastisements after the elections. As we have often repeated here – ” what matters most is not what happens to us , but what happens within us.” when things transpire in our lives.

The major provincial positions- that of  Governor Edgar Chatto and the three congressmen  Rene Relampagos, Aris Aumentado and Art Yap – went  back again to the incumbents. More than the strength of their familiarity  to voters and their  logistics as incumbents, their reelection proves that somehow they have done more good than bad in their wake.

While the  poll recording and vote counting were clean , there were sporadic sparks of violence and the well-known Boholano bribe-giving and bribe-taking in several places. It is a shameful phenomenon here.

But after the inflicted wounds  engendered by the harshness of the political campaign, it is time to heal the wounds of dissension and move our only province forward.

Like we mentioned  in earlier issues- the twin heads of poverty and the drug cult are two of the main problems of the province. Now that the trajectory of our national economy is largely north- every policy move , every project must henceforth be sieved through the question:  how will this affect the poorest of the poor ?

The time for “real inclusive” growth to include the poor and the marginal must now be brought to reality if we want to prevent the social volcano (emanating from extreme poverty)  from erupting.

Tourism and agriculture are our two battering rams for growth. But we should also be serious and place our elected men’s high-octane brains and muscular  political might to make the province a BPO center very soon.  The lost opportunities in thousands of jobs and the multiplier effect of their high salaries as BPO agents cannot be underestimated.

As for drugs and other criminality that clearly oppress those who are least able to defend themselves – these must not be taken more than just seriously. No more pogi points, no more self-serving statistics, no more media posturings. No mores cases that cannot stand in court.

People will certainly demand their fair share of return for giving these guys a fresh new mandate in the polls.

In the city, incumbent Baba Yap and Toto Veloso plus 9 of their SP slate members scored a resounding landslide as the large majority of voters gave the “thumbs up” mark for an administration that was dramatically different from the decadence of the former administration.

There are new and old faces in the towns. Those that are too close to call- must be resolved soon to avoid the hiatus of a undetermined leadership.

We always said here that “winning the elections ,no matter how acrimonious, is the easier part.” The harder part is to prove oneself worthy of the new mandate of our people.

The People have Spoken. It’s not just  time to celebrate. It’s time to roll down their sleeves and make themselves be  worthy of the sacred calling that an unimpaired elections had brought unto them to bear.

For comments: email to dejarescobingo@yahoo.com or bohol-rd@mozcom.com