There’s no doubt elections here is starting to heat up and incumbents who have a distinct advantage over their challengers are already working feverishly to ensure their victory in the 2010 polls by hook or by scaring people. I learned a week ago that this incident happened a few weeks ago in Punta Engaño, Mactan. You can say that this is part of the saga in the continuing Battle of Mactan by Mactan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. President Efrain Pelaez Jr. vs. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza.
I saw two letters sent to Dep-Ed Secretary Jesli Lapus from the Board of Directors of the Parents Teachers Cooperative and Association (PCTA) of the Punta Engaño High School (PEHS) not far from the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa. Those letters tell us a story how politicians use scare tactics and rule with an iron fist. It is because of these strong-arm tactics that teachers get so scared to the point that they would “cheat” for the incumbent during elections.
This letter was a complaint lodged at the Dep-Ed on the politicking already going on in Punta Engaño, Mactan where for the past 16 years, Mr. Efrain 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 even a school building. Since the past 16 years Mr. Pelaez has always been the VIP guest of the school during graduation ceremonies. This school is literally in the neighborhood of Coralpoint and it is proof that property developers can help improve the quality of living in their surrounding areas.
First was a letter written on Mar.10, by School Manager Mary Ann E. Ogdog who wrote Mr. Pelaez asking for his annual graduation message for the April 4 Commencement Exercises. Then all of the sudden, another letter was sent on Mar. 26, 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 welcome! What ever happened to School Manager Mary Ann Ogdog? Was this letter written by someone on her behalf?
Knowing that Mr. Pelaez has always been the benefactor of the Punta Engaño High School, Mayor Radaza probably told the School Manager that he would attend the graduation rites if Mr. Pelaez weren’t around. Hence, that second letter was sent to Mr. Pelaez. In the end, April 4 came, but Mayor Radaza didn’t show up at all. But the harm has been done.
However, the graduate scholars of Mr. Pelaez pleaded with him that he still attend the graduation and for their sake, he attended the graduations rites. Because school officials were scared of the expected presence of Mayor Radaza (don’t forget his wife Paz is running in the coming polls) for the first time this year, the school didn’t give Mr. Pelaez a Plaque of Appreciation for the generosity he has shown to the school.
But the scholars put in their own money and gave him their own plaque of appreciation. This was a tit-for-tat against the school officials and a big slap at their face by their own students. This incident shouldn’t have happened in the first place if only the teachers showed their gratitude to Mr. Pelaez regardless of what Mr. Radaza thinks about it.
What does this incident tell us? That the school manager or principal of Punta Engaño 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 might be transferred to far-flung areas. So they toe the line and play patsy with their political masters and on Election Day, its payback time!
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. While they are in the midst of installing a computerized election system and making it operational, all these are nothing but computers. As we used to say about computers, “It is garbage in or garbage out”. Meaning the computers will only respond to what the teachers put inside these computers. If they place tainted election results then it would count only those results. What the Comelec ought to do is change its system and send all teachers to the neighboring cities or municipalities. This can be easily done in the metro cities like Cebu and Manila and neighboring municipalities. No teacher should do poll duty in his or her own school!