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Thursday, March 18, 2004
Wenceslao: ‘Garapalan’ strategy
By BONG WENCESLAO
Among local government officials running for reelection in the country, I think Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and the other members of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) are the most garapal in using government resource in their campaign. I say “most garapal” because other incumbents are merely 'garapal.'
Osmeña and his clique, for example, used the distribution of Philhealth family cards as front for a gathering with political undertones at the Cebu City Sports Center last Tuesday. Actually, it was President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who initiated the scheme—until it was derailed by a complaint filed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
But the caper at the Cebu City Sports Center is but one of the many initiatives of Osmeña and the BO-PK going into the formal start of the campaign period for the local elections. Indeed, after failing to hatch and implement projects in the first two years of its rule, the Osmeña administration is suddenly launching them left and right.
I can no longer recall all, but I can mention a few. There’s the asphalting of roads that were left to deteriorate early in Osmeña’s term. There was the purchase of vehicles, first for the councilors, then the police. There was the renting of multicabs. Then the purchase of materials like sodium lamps. Money is pouring everywhere.
What is unfortunate here is that everything seems deliberate. The Osmeña administration obviously held back in spending government resource and piled them up until it can use them immediately before and during the campaign period. Meaning, the public was allowed to go hungry for government services and is being fed only now.
The purpose there is two-fold—to generate campaign funds and to win votes. The first purpose is difficult to prove, but it is common knowledge that projects have the so-called SOPs, or commissions. As for the second purpose, projects can be listed as achievements, whether these are being implemented only now or not.
It would be interesting to find out then how things will turn out. If the BO-PK rides roughshod over the opposition in the May 10 elections, one can partly attribute this to the garapalan strategy. This will prod the winners to practice the same in the 2007 elections. Meaning, public good will be sacrificed again in the altar of politics.
P.S. I hope Citom chief Valeriano “Bobit” Avila will act on this plea from texter Cerilo Masbad of Mabolo, Cebu City: “During school days or special occasions, a portion of Gen. Maxilom Ave. in front of Sacred Heart School for boys becomes a nightmare for motorists. Luxury vehicles are double parked in the presence of Citom personnel.
“The City Government demolished the stalls of the poor sidewalk vendors but allowed those rich people’s vehicles to park on that portion of the street. Okay lang diay sa mayor kun ang mga dato parehas niya ang magsamoksamok sa traffic?”
A texter, reacting to a Text Reax contribution on the film, “The Passion of the Christ,” pointed out that the Catholic Church is already promoting the movie and added that the film’s director, Mel Gibson, is a devout Catholic.
Vic Baguio of Matab-ang, Cordova raised this question on the crusade of businessman Miguel Juan del Gallego against the conviction of Francisco Juan “Paco” Larrañaga and the so-called Chiong 7: “Why is he doing the crusade at this late hour? He should have done it at the start of the trial. ”
(e-mail: khanwens@yahoo.com; text: 0927-4912362)
(March 18, 2004 issue)
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