Scared teachers Comelec's other problem

While we know that the budget for computerizing the coming 2010 elections has been released and therefore, barring any unforeseen incidents, we can expect that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) would finally give the Filipino people what they have longed for… clean and honest elections. However, the skeptic that I am tells me that a bigger problem looms that would nullify any positive gains that the Comelec got with the computerized elections… that’s because of the sheer and unabated manipulation of our teachers by Local Government Unit (LGU) officials.

A case in point is a copy of a letter that I got which was sent to DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus from the Board of Directors of the Parents Teachers Cooperative & Association (PCTA) of the Punta Engano High School (PEHS) not far from the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa. As there are two letters I’m quoting I will try to do this story as briefly as I can.

This was actually a letter complaint lodge at the DepEd of the politicking already going on in Punta Engano, Mactan where for the past 16 years, Mr. Efrain T. Pelaez Jr. has been its most important benefactor, whose foundation dubbed the Coralpoint Educational Foundation, Inc. (CEFI) has given the school many of the things that the government failed to give… like a school library, books, computers and yes even a school building. Hence since the past 16-years Mr. Pelaez has always been the VIP guest of the school during graduation ceremonies. But not anymore this year.

On Mar. 10th, School Manager Mary Ann E. Ogdog wrote Mr. Pelaez asking for his annual graduation message for the April 4th Commencement Exercises. Then all of the sudden, another letter was sent on Mar. 26th this time written by Officer-in-Charge Angelita D. Pagobo informing Mr. Pelaez that Mayor Arturo Radaza would be attending the graduation exercises and therefore asking Mr. Pelaez to give way to the Mayor, which is tantamount to saying that thanks for your donation, but this year you’re not welcomed!

To those who’ve not been following this column, we’ve already written a lot about the controversy between Mr. Pelaez who is the President of the Mactan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (MCCI) and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza because at a great personal risk to him and his business Mr. Pelaez has been exposing the corrupt practices of the Mayor, one of the principal figures of the controversial Lamppost Scam.

Knowing that Mr. Pelaez was the benefactor of the Punta Engano High School, Mayor Radaza probably told the School Manager that he would attend the graduation rites if Mr. Pelaez wasn’t around. Hence that second letter was sent to Mr. Pelaez. In the end, April 4th came, but Mayor Radaza didn’t show up. But the graduate scholars of Mr. Pelaez pleaded that he still attend the graduation and he did. For the first time this year, the school didn’t give Mr. Pelaez a Plaque of Appreciation, but the scholars put in some money and gave him their own plaque of appreciation.

What does this incident tell us? That the school manager or principal of Punta Engano is running scared… that they would incur the ire of Mayor Radaza, hence they ended up insulting the very person who gave more to their school than the City of Lapu-Lapu! I’m writing this story because I’m sure that this is not an isolated case. Many teachers (despite their being educated) are scared of their local officials…scared that they would be transferred to the far-flung areas. So they toe the line and play patsy with their political masters and on Election Day, its payback time! They cheat!

If you ask me, this is Chairman Melo’s biggest challenge; for the Comelec to ensure that the teachers on poll duty are not beholden to the local officials. This is easy to do…send the teachers to the neighboring cities or municipalities. This can easily be done in the Metro Cities like Cebu and Manila and neighboring Municipalities. I just hope Mr. Melo is listening!

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Here’s an interesting response to our article on Catholicism.

“Dear Mr. Avila, No, it’s not only in Cebu that there is a lukewarm interest in the doctrinal teachings of the Church. How Catholics are Catholics ­ The Philippine STAR, April 24,2009. Indifference and ignorance has contaminated many souls. To correct that I take the liberty of forwarding to you the flyer distributed in the St. James Parish, Ayala Alabang, done to illuminate the minds of all parishioners and help them visualize how low human behaviour can fall. You may want to feature the reasons why RH Bill is not a good thing for our nation. Congratulations for the courage you take to stand next to the Church. Sincerely, Juan Jose Berenguer-Chatham House Salcedo Village, Makati City”.

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.philstar.com. He also hosts a weekly talkshow entitled, “Straight from the Sky” shown every Monday only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 on SkyCable at 8:00 in the evening.