IT’S but a normal practice for political candidates to make promises when campaigning. Usually, these promises are printed on their campaign materials such as tarpaulin.
Many of these campaign slogans are merely rehashed, while others use their creativity to send their message across to the voters in the hopes of getting their support come election day.
Such is the case of Noel “Chebong” Guevara, 49, a businessman who is running for the barangay chairmanship in Bugo, Cagayan de Oro, whose campaign slogan is “Together we will make Bugo a little Davao.”
This slogan is printed on tarp that also shows Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte raising Guevara’s hand.
He said he chanced upon the mayor during the Kaamulan Festival in Bukidnon on March 24.
He said the Davao mayor knows him personally since he is one of the most active supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte during the campaign period in 2016.
Making this village of 35,000 people a replica of one of the most progressive cities in the country, and the hometown of Duterte, may seem like a very ambitious goal, but for Guevara, that vision can be achievable.
Guevara, an avowed Diehard Duterte Supporter (DDS), said “I want to imitate Davao, that’s why I’m pushing for a cleaner Bugo, a safe Bugo, a drug-free Bugo, whose citizens are law-abiding.”
If given the chance to be elected into office, he said his priority is to clean Bugo from illegal drugs.
“For me, it’s a shame that Bugo was declared number 3 from among 80 barangays in Cagayan de Oro as one of the most infected with drugs. I want to change that image,” he said, referring to the drugs watchlist released by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Northern Mindanao and city police.
Pro-Duterte but anti-Tokhang
Barangay 23 chairman Jaime Frias, 35, has been holding the same office for almost 11 years now, and when Duterte ran for president in 2016, he was one of his local supporters, even until now.
But Frias, who’s running as barangay councilor, drew the line when the Duterte-sanctioned Oplan “Tokhang” (knock and plead), a program carried out by the police aimed at persuading individuals to stop their involvement in illegal drugs at the community level, came to his barangay, a small neighborhood near the city’s downtown area.
“From the start, I have been vocal in my opposition to Tokhang. What I want is anti-drug operations leading to arrests,” he said.
Whether he wins or loses in the barangay election, Frias said his stand on Tokhang will not change.
Reused tarps as campaign materials
While others her age have already slowed down, 77-year-old Yolanda Lariosa shows no signs of retiring as she has joined the barangay election seeking for a council seat in Barangay Patag.
Financial constraints did not dampen Lariosa’s desire to run that she took the initiative of using recycled materials for her campaign paraphernalia.
Lariosa said she just does not have the money to pay for personalized poster, so she had to make do with the cheaper materials.
“I bought a very large used tarpaulin in the market for P20 and cut it out into small pieces. I then wrote my name at the back with a pen marker. That’s all I can afford. I don’t have any money but I really want to run,” she said.
Aside from that, she also used old notebook covers and bond papers she has been keeping in her drawer as handbills.
“Some people were laughing at me because my handbills were not printed but handwritten, but I was not discouraged. I want them to see that I am sincere,” she said.
As a senior citizens coordinator and prayer leader, Lariosa said she has been used to walking, so the campaign did not really exhaust her, although she has arthritis.
As the barangay election unfolds Monday, May 14, Lariosa said she is optimistic that the people of Patag will vote for her so she could continue to help the elderly.