LP-NP alliance?

FOR Nacionalista Party senatorial candidates like Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, the LP-NP alliance is quite healthy. However, the non-appearance of Cebu NP stalwart Eddie Gullas at Team P-Noy’s Tabunok rally tells me all is not well at the local level.

Anol Mongaya

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As the joke goes, Gullas was not able to attend because of the rain. The policemen armed with umbrellas left ahead.

Seriously, I believe Eddiegul has a hard time convincing his mayors to mobilize their supporters for Team P-Noy. The mayors had earlier mobilized support for the beleaguered Gov. Gwen Garcia when she was holed up at the Capitol building and Cong. PJ Garcia.

I wonder where Cong. Tommy Osmeña’s P400 million was spent. It was supposed to be support for the candidacy of Junjun Davide.

Nevertheless, the spontaneous support from Talisay folks for LP and President Aquino should inspire Junjun and company. It should also worry Eddiegul because thousands are politically moving on their own.

The way I see it, Junjun should find a way to mobilize this spontaneous support into campaign volunteers fast. He cannot always rely on P-Noy coming to Cebu often and events like the Edsa 1 anniversary that reminds people of Cory and Ninoy.

But the senatorial candidates would need to come back again and again individually or as teams.

For instance, I expect Senator Cayetano to intensify his consultations.

The Junjun team can always adopt the strategy of connecting these Team P-Noy candidates with the masa and converting those who attend into campaign volunteers.

***

A quick visit at the office of Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale to arrange a courtesy call for the Mrs. Globe Philippines pageant gave me a glimpse of how she is facing the challenge of running the Province and campaigning.

She seems to be doing fine as I saw former congressman Tito Calderon and several other leaders among her visitors. The feedback I got from some friends in the south is that the fight for vice governor seems to be between Magpale and independent Glenn Soco.

***

I wanted to write a mouthful on the Kasambahay law weeks ago but I decided to wait so I won’t be that emotional. The Kasambahay law aims to protect the yayas, labanderas, cooks and others helping us at the house so we can have the time to do the things we do. And
I agree with that.

Allow me to say first that not so long ago (actually several decades ago), I got acquainted with social-oriented literature on helpers when Doris got connected with an NGO program to organize them. The literature talked about the helpers taking the cudgels for domestic work when the wife needs to work and lift half the sky for the family and society.

However, it seems there are domestic situations that the law failed to address.

For example, while some other families succeeded in getting their helpers enrolled in the nearest night school, our efforts almost always fail.

Either they resist efforts to get them an education or they suddenly drop out and ask permission to go home (these happened to us twice) because they got pregnant by a neighborhood trisikad driver.

This happened after we went out of our way to adjust schedules and our budget to provide these girls an education. Instead of going to school, they would rather use their extra money to buy a cell phone or load.

Once I was surprised to learn that a young man went wild at our gate one day. It turned out that he was our helper’s boyfriend and they had a fight. It was bad enough to prompt a neighbor to file a complaint at the barangay. When confronted, the helper told me they broke up. She did not want to see him again.

After going to a barangay lupon hearing and got an order for the young man to stay away from the house, the couple eloped.

Recently, a relative sent us two helpers from Negros Oriental. We requested her to look for two stay-in helpers who know how to cook, clean, wash and iron clothes. The Saturday after they arrived, the two asked for an advance of P1,000 each because they want to buy some toiletries. Early Sunday, the two asked for permission to go home. The two said their original understanding was to clean the house, not cook, wash, and iron clothes.

We naturally asked them to stay a few days for us to look for replacements. Besides, they just got an advance. While we were out of the house that afternoon, the two sneaked out. The two said they will pay their advance immediately.

Weeks have passed since without any word from them. I felt lucky they were not members of a robbery gang.

(politika2013.wordpress.com)