The point of a barangay captain

Chito Casio the friendly overseer of the area where I usually park my rickety old Beetle approached me yesterday while I was squeezing my car into its allotted space. I would have taken for granted his coming in my direction because he is wont to doing it each time I would be there. But, I discerned a special purpose lurking behind his winsome smile.

True enough, as he neared me, he asked if I had read a news item few days ago, where my humble name was allegedly mentioned. “News? Good heavens, no! I do speak my mind in a regular column and you know that. But be a subject of a story? Ah, that’s not normal” was my reply in Cebuano.

Hoping to be of some help, he proceeded to state what he read. The Barangay Captain of Apas (Chito nodded when I mentioned the name of my friend, Hon. Clemente Rosales) was apparently interviewed by reporter Wen Celen of Banat News, the sister publication of this paper. Capt. Rosales was quoted as saying that my humble self was a coordinator of the governor working for a group running opposite his camp. I could not be sure if Chito quoted correctly the news but his information seemed to require some analyzing.

I have kept a low profile, politically that is, for quite a long time. My theory of democracy is at the bottom of this self imposed silence. To me, it is good for our society if we give others a chance to wield political power of whatever degree. After all, no one has a monopoly of good ideas. Thus, having served a term in the city council and the special fact that my fellow Cebuanos did not give me the opportunity to serve them in Congress, I honestly believed that I such have accomplished what I wanted to do that I should step aside in favor of other people with an even better desire to serve us. So, I felt no more need to aspire for any political post.

But, Hon. Rosales, obviously does not believe in this thought. He as well as the other barangay captains who are barred from running for another term as barangay chief, is reportedly seeking a lower position. He (as others equally situated do) must be seeking some justification for this selfish attempt to cling to a share of political clout. This aspiration, being not dissimilar to greed, has to be shielded from being exposed otherwise its odor is irreversibly spread. This can be the first part of his game plan. And, what a better way to achieve the objective than by staging a diversionary attack.

To the credit of the Apas chief, he knows his political battlefield. The second part of his game plan is to alienate his fellow future candidates in his group (damn that non-partisan label) for kagawad from me. For one, he knows that two re-electionists in his company are a Dr. Sevilla, a relative by affinity for whom our family is committed to help and a Jerry Pinggoy, for whom we owe a deep sense of gratitude. Hon. Rosales is trying to drive a wedge between me and these gentlemen because he knows that, in his barangay, I have some connections with profound relations to count on.

Finally, while I deny the speculative thought of Capt. Rosales, I agree with him that there is a need for all of us in our society to participate actively in the coming polls. Starting from the barangay is going to be our first step in charting the destiny of our country. Instead of just taking the elections passively, we need to elect men and women on the basis of at least two criteria, heart and mind. It has become our duty to campaign actively for those who have acceptable and specific ideas on what to do in our barangays and are competent to work on them. In much the same fervor, we have to choose those who feel the urgency of doings certain things for us in the barangays.

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