My thoughts about Barangay and SK polls

I don’t know if this is an act of desperation or a big joke, but I was quite taken aback at the headline news of The FREEMAN yesterday that my good friend, City Veterinarian Dr. Alice Utlang is now being groomed to replace Dr. Myrna Go of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC)? When I was Market Consultant for Cebu City, I had the honor to work with Dr. Utlang and found her to be very professional and a go-getter. If she’s given the task to run CCMC, I’m sure that she’d turn it around, but then the officials of City of Cebu must expect flak and ridicule here or abroad, that our medical center is ran by a vet!

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In four days time, the residents in Metro Cebu and the Province would troop to their respective schools to vote for their Barangay officials. My readers know my sentiment about our Barangay system, which is supposed to be a microchasm of the Provincial, Municipal or City gov’t. But in the end, when you give this kind of honor to the lowest form of public service, few truly put public service at heart. Like most politicians, our elected barangay officials become arrogant, aloof and unreachable to the needs of their constituents.

One of the biggest fooleries being poised by our politicians about our barangays is that it is apolitical. Well, there are many barangay leaders who proudly tell their constituents that they belong to this or that political party, which is clear proof that barangay officials belong to the ruling or opposition party. We might as well scrap this provision in the Constitution about the barangay officials being apolitical.

Each barangay has peculiar problems or needs, but due to the current system, most of these problems are never addressed. For instance, many barangays have creeks or esteros, yet they don’t do anything about deepening these creeks or esteros. So when the rains come and your home and your surroundings are being flood, when you start shouting profanities, you better direct it to your barangay leaders whom I’m sure would pin the blame on City Hall. But if those same barangay leaders are reelected this coming Monday, then the next time you get flooded, blame yourselves for not replacing your inutile barangay leaders.

So come Monday, exercise your basic right to choose your public servants. They have fancy names - Barangay Captains or Councilmen - but in truth, they are supposedly your friendly neighbor servants who should serve your community and not help themselves to your barangay coffers as if it were their own piggy bank!

As for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), I have long maintained that the SK was created by then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos during the Martial Law years as a political toy of then Presidential daughter Imee Marcos. But in the two decades of having the SK, I have yet to feel or see something positive that we can say that the SK is a very good program for the youth. I would rather scrap the SK in favor of using the monies to be given to Boys and Girls Scouts because I once experience being a Cub Scout and it was one of the most unforgettable times in my youth.

But then, it is too late to scrap the SK, so in the meantime, I suggest that you vote for the most deserving boy or girl seeking positions in the SK. Then just hope and pray that they would become exemplary youth leaders, unlike the ones I have heard of - a girl getting pregnant from having too many SK meetings in the evening. Just done ever forget that if you want changes, those changes are within the grasp, on the tip of your pen, so you better wake up early this Monday and vote out the corrupt barangay leader and put in a new one.

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Tomorrow, the Divine Master Convent will celebrate the Solemnity of Jesus the Divine Master in a weeklong of prayers on the theme: Jesus Christ our Redeemer with Fr. Alan Gamutan, SSP as Presider. The 1st day starts on Oct.22 Friday for the Memorial of Blessed Timothy Giaccardo; 2nd Day, Oct.24 Saturday, the Person of Jesus the Redeemer; 3rd Day Oct.24 Sunday, the Power of God in Jesus the Redeemer; 4th Day Monday Oct.25, the Wisdom of God in Jesus the Redeemer; 5th day Tuesday Oct.26, The Man of Patience and Suffering in Jesus the Redeemer.

The 6th Day, Wednesday Oct.27, The Man of Justice in Jesus the Redeemer; 7th Day, Thursday Oct.28, The Merciful Man in Jesus the Redeemer; 8th Day, Friday Oct. 29, The Chaste Man in Jesus the Redeemer; finally on the 9th day, Saturday Oct.30, The Obedient Son in Jesus the Redeemer. All schedules and themes for the Novena Masses start at 5:30 pm. Then on Oct.31 Sunday at 10:00AM is the Theme: Jesus Christ our Redeemer.