Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Wenceslao: Mayor missed point on SK Federation polls By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
BARANGAY Buhisan is actually like Barangay Sapangdaku or Barangay Bacayan. I once described its location as at the “hemline of the mountains overlooking the city.” When you go there it’s like you are crossing the bounds of two different worlds. From the chaos of urban Punta Princesa you are ushered into the peace and quiet of rustic Buhisan.
The main road in that barangay connects you to a portion of city’s backside like Barangays Toong and Pamutan. You find in these barangays a wide swath of forested area that blankets the watershed that feeds water to the Buhisan dam. The last time I penetrated that area was in the Centennial Trek organized by Judge Meinrado Paredes.
I don’t know in what part of Buhisan the young Rengelle Pelayo grew up.
Since her father Rey is an electrician and her mother Leoncia is attending to a small eatery, then their house must be in the more populous part of the barangay. That explains her winning the top post of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) in Buhisan, her ticket to a higher post.
Unlike outgoing Cebu City SK Federation head Glena Bontuyan, Pelayo is an Alay Lakad scholar. Considering the environment Pelayo grew up in and her effort to make good despite the family’s lack of resource, she was therefore the ideal SK leader. And she could have won the SK Federation election without City Hall’s intervention.
That’s why I say Mayor Tomas Osmeña missed the point when he defended his endorsement of Pelayo as president of the Cebu City SK Federation. By not allowing Rengelle to win solely on her own merits and efforts, the mayor and his people who campaigned for her tainted what could have been the greatest win in this young girl’s life.
The mayor would not have been remiss in his duties had he allowed “just anybody” to get elected as SK Federation president, like he refused to do.
Instead, he and the others went beyond the bounds of their duties, even abused it, with their interference. Osmeña and other Pelayo supporters are not SK members and have no stake in the group.
I can mine two reasons why older politicians would interfere in the election of officers of both SK Federation and the Association of Barangay Councils. The more obvious is control. Mayors or governors want federation heads they can control, considering that they would become ex officio members of their legislative bodies.
The second reason is the one Osmeña raised: he interfered because he wanted the most qualified candidate to win. That, however, stems from one erroneous attitude: arrogance, which in turn sparks the belief that SK Federation members do not know how to choose their own leaders and only their elders know what is good for these kids.
That belief is a mirage. The spirit of the law that guides the operation of the SK swirls around the idea of training the youth to make independent and responsible decisions in advancing the interest of their sector. It hinges on the belief that SK members are old enough to do things on their own. No mention about interference by politicians.
It is possible Pelayo would be better than Bontuyan in addressing the concerns of the youths in Cebu City. It is just unfortunate that City Hall’s interference will hound Pelayo’s acts, no matter how well-meaning these will be.
