Vying for Makati mayor's seat

In Makati, where the country’s tallest buildings, like the PBCOM Tower and the GT International Tower, as well as two of its earliest churches, the Nuestra Senora de Gracia in Guadalupe and the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul are located, Agapito “Butz” Aquino, a two-term senator and three-term representative of the Second District, will stake his unblemished public record and run for mayor in 2010.

He will go up against the Binays who have ruled Makati from the time that their patriarch Jojo was appointed officer-in-charge in 1986 by Aquino’s sister-in-law President Cory C. Aquino. Jojo was later elected to the post in 1987 and was succeeded by his wife, Elenita in 1998. He then came back in June 2001 and has left the post only this year because he’s running for vice-president.

Now Butz, as practically everyone calls him, will contend with Jojo’s son, Makati Councilor Jejomar Binay Jr., former Vice-Mayor Ernesto Mercado; Erwin Genuino, son of PAGCOR Chairman Efraim Genuino, and a businessman, Edmundo Tagalog.

Many who were caught by surprise by the news that Butz had thrown his hat in the Makati ring, are wondering about his chances against the vaunted machinery and resources of the Binays. Well, if one goes for track record, performance and integrity in public service, I personally would say that the chances of Butz are good. For one, this former street parliamentarian who rallied in the streets against the Marcos dictatorship after his brother Ninoy’s assassination in 1983 has never been accused of any wrongdoing or irregularity in the 17 years that he has been in public office. That is no mean feat, what with all the temptations his elected posts offer and the privileges that some of his peers take for granted and abuse.

When he left the legislature, Butz turned to the cooperative movement, who under his advocacy, grew from 800 cooperatives when he was a senator to more than 70,000 today, contributing as of 2008, a total of P148 billion to the economy and creating four million jobs since 2004. Along the way, Butz pushed for the passage of the original Cooperative Code of the Philippines (RA 6938) in 1990, whose avowed policy is “to foster the creation and growth of cooperatives as a practical vehicle for promoting self-reliance and harnessing people towards the attainment of economic development and social justice”; the Seed Act which provides “for the development of the domestic seed industry, and the Magna Carta for Small Farmers which empowers small farmers and recognize their right “to participate in the planning, organization, management and implementation of agricultural programs and projects through the bayanihan spirit.”

In a way, this advocacy will help Butz, should he be elected, to work harmoniously with the contrasting profile of Makati’s population. We all think of Makati as simply the business district and gated communities to its west like Forbes Park, Dasmarinas and Bel-Air Villages and its denizens as the smartly-dressed office workers, business executives and shoppers.

But the older the city to the east is largely poor with a sprinkling of middleclass households clinging on precariously. This is Jejomar Binay’s bailiwick, and a source of votes which he assiduously cultivated. This is the reality that Butz and the other mayor wannabes have to face.

A report on Makati recently aired on television showed the highly contrasting lifestyles of the city’s poor and rich. To be sure, Jojo the patriarch has enriched Makati’s coffers. His benefits to various sectors, mostly for the poor communities, like free education, birthday cakes and free movies for senior citizens, among others, are greatly appreciated, but contenders like Butz claim they can improve on giving more attention and service. Those who want to get the Makati post will have to show track records and clean hands for credibility, and probably, acceptance. Can Butz do a better job if he is elected? Time will tell.

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Our congratulations to 14 local government units for winning the 2009 Galing Pook Awards. The awards are annually bestowed on LGUs for conceptualizing and implementing programs ranging from peace and conflict resolution to environmental management, to health and social services.

In the past only ten programs were given awards, but this year, 14 were chosen by the National Selection Committee chaired by Prof Solita Monsod. Rafael Coscolluela, Galing Pook Foundation chair, said at the awards ceremonies held in Malacañang that the programs “confront and effectively address ‘problems’ with the basic tools of progressive and enlightened LGUs: knowledge, political will and people’s involvement. Plus of course a good measure of creativity and innovation.”

The awardees are Barangay Luz in Cebu City; Bayawan City in Negros Oriental; Sarangani Province; Midsayap, Cotabato; Tabuk, Kalinga; Marikina City; Taguig City; Quezon City; Barangay Barobo, Valencia City; Surallah, South Cotabato; Makati City; Malaybalay City; Bulacan Province, and Parañaque City.

Kuarta sa Basura was launched in Barangay Luz in Cebu City to earn money for the community through recycling, composting and other environment-friendly activities. Various sector organizations like the youth, elderly and women’s groups are now involved in raising awareness, cleaning, segregating, recycling and monitoring their surroundings. The barangay’s total waste disposal in the city landfill is now only 28 percent, while the rest of the waste is either composted or converted to cash through recycling.

Bayawan City, Neg. Or., with the help of the German Technical Cooperation Agency, has established an economical and ecologically sustainable system called “Ecosan.” The project basically treats and transforms human waste products appropriate for use as fertilizer and soil conditioner, and treats waste water for use in irrigation construction and firefighting. The project is a breakthrough in the improvement of sanitation programs. It’s the country’s first LGU-constructed and managed wet and waste water treatment facility.

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