EVERY three years we elect our mayors among the politicians who are pushing themselves to serve the people if elected. Election is a bit of fun for Pinoys and someone at the end of the election day gets elected.
There are varied reasons why a politician wins. Perhaps a candidate for mayor is elected because he is really qualified or someone gets elected because his parents want him to be there and the family spent a lot for his winning. It is possible also that behind a mayor is a king maker who wants to dominate a province or a district. The elected mayor becomes his political pawn.
There could be other spaghetti stories in the election of the mayors but that is not our topic today. Mayors have style books in running their local government units. Many have stuck to the “de rigueur” techniques they learned from the “trapos” but some have adapted the broncobuster approach.
When Covid-19 was elevated by the World Health Organization to a pandemic status, many of our mayors were caught with their pants or skirts down. What is obvious was shown. Their constituents readily deciphered the preparedness or unpreparedness of mayors who are used to live in their comfort zones.
President Duterte as a wrangler president and probably a disciple of “The Art of War” opted for “lockdown”... and to make it taste like a fruit salad the term he used was “Enhanced Community Quarantine”. Our Tatay Digong mobilized the health workers, military and the policemen as frontliners but the point persons in towns and cities are still the mayors. They are there as commanding generals. In towns and component cities, the governor is on top of them.
The ball game is now on. We congratulate the mayors who have been very creative. They are hands on in the fast preparation of program of works for the immediate purchase of the items needed for economic recovery program packages. There is a comprehensive planning with barangay captains on the proper disposal of relief goods without political color.
These mayors are available for radio and television interviews and they even have wider exposure in the social media. They are good in noting details and have excellent comprehension on the directives of the national offices approved by President Duterte.
ECQ, physical distancing, curfew hours, traffic flow, monitoring of the price of commodities, and the best information dissemination are observed. These mayors are fast in the processing of financial assistance from the national government to the poorest of the poor... no confusion, no commotion, and no political bickering.
The creative mayors do not just depend on their LGU fund or the assistance from the provincial and national government. They have touched the hearts of the NGOs, civic clubs, peoples’ organizations, big time businessmen, professionals, and volunteers to give their share. The appeal is fast and the response is even faster.
I know of some mayors who ordered the shoreline barangay captains to tell fishermen and all shell scratchers to harvest food from the sea to be bought by the LGU and to be distributed properly to the needy for free. Plantation owners were met to draw solutions to solve the problems of the workers.
Many mayors contacted their farmers so that their farm products could be purchased by the LGUs at farm gate price to be allocated to the non-formal settlers in the slum areas. Every move is properly orchestrated without political color and personal biases.
Rolling stores are organized to reach far-flung barangays and satellite markets were instituted using the livelihood fund of the LGU. Medical team on wheels are on special mission to the barangays to check the residents with Covid-19 symptoms.
All government vehicles are out for emergency cases and for market goers on specified days in a week as marked in the quarantine pass. Online assistance has been extended to employees who would want to avail loans from SSS and GSIS. A special free call booth was installed for families with members working abroad.
We can have a litany of the good works of the creative mayors but we can have a longer litany on the non-performing mayors who quarantined themselves for not knowing what to do. Keep up the good work creative mayors. Together, we will flatten the curve. Lousy mayors, pity yourselves... do not run in the 2022 election.