Totol undecided, but making consultations

CEBU, Philippines - While former Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) undersecretary Aristotle “Totol” Batuhan said he has not decided whether or not to run for Congress in 2013, he has been making the rounds of the district barangays for months now getting the pulse of the barangay officials and residents.

It was also not a typical visit to barangays, he said. His team brings the advocacy of the Abante Barangay Movement he founded in October last year right after he left the DOTC.

“It’s too early to say yet if I will run for Congress, it’s still a year and two months to go. But what I’ve been doing is visiting the barangays and meeting my former leaders during the previous elections,” Batuhan said.

He also said he has to complete yet his roundup of all barangays in the south district because the output of his consultations will be the meat of his platform.

“I wouldn’t declare yet that I will run until I have a platform to present to the people,” Batuhan said.

One form of reaching to the barangays is his Abante Barangay Movement that advocates and works to provide better social services to residents of the south district.

Batuhan’s Abante Barangay Movement has four major advocacies which are; health awareness, advancement of knowledge on information technology, community enterprise development and sports development.

When the program was launched, several barangays were given desktop computers while a feeding program was launched in Barangay Duljo-Fatima.

The feeding program gives the children of the Duljo-Fatima lunch everyday to make sure they are getting the right nutrition daily. The program runs for six months and is about to be completed.

While he is still working on getting the pulse of the public on his possible Congressional bid, Batuhan said he is glad that the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan is open to an outsider like him.

He is one of the choices for the congressional candidate of BOPK. The other two being considered are councilors Rodrigo Abellanosa and Margarita Osmeña.

“I welcome that opportunity. I welcome the willingness of BOPK to open its doors for new entrants in politics,” Batuhan said.

He admitted that he is doing his own surveys periodically but results are not meant to be made public.

He, however, is satisfied with the assurance from his former cluster leaders that he will have their support if ever he decides to run for Congress.

Batuhan ran for congressman of the south district in 2001 and again in 2004 but lost both times.

Commenting on the recent bolting of some councilors in favor of Mayor Michael Rama, who was the first to leave BOPK, Batuhan said it was bound to happen.

“From a perspective of an outsider, for me it was bound to happen, it’s only a matter of time. Di man mahimo na usa ra ka slate or usa ka set of candidates ang election diba?” Batuhan said, “and I think we owe it to the people to give them choices.” (FREEMAN)