THE RUCKUS from the past mad scramble for the midterm elections has not yet died down.
Losers, still smarting not only from defeat but most important from financial expense, are still trying to figure out how they lost.
Winners, though, smiling from the consolation of victory are also analyzing the monetary flow, trying to figure out how the money was mal-mis-spent. The honorable elected will be facing a more difficult gauntlet. They have political favors to re-pay. Casuals to dismiss and hire. 15-30 Consultants to appoint. They will be flooded with well-wishers, all claiming to have campaigned hard and voted for him. Did they really vote for him? Or for Joe and Mel? Or got money from both of them? Public office can give you a migraine.
But the dust has settled and we must accept and embrace our new sets of public officials.
There are new faces but some with old reputations. They shall be defining themselves during their term in office and change is always welcome. It’s nice, for once, to hear new voices from someone you don’t know talking about nonsense.
New faces will always take the floor and filibuster to be heard and known. Session attendance will be 100 percent maybe for the first month. Thereafter, there will be no quorum as they will be at the barangays…campaigning for re-election.
They will be introducing new legislative matters and numerous Resolutions. Having served at the Iloilo Provincial Legal office and the City Legal Office, we had an enormous volume of compilations of opinions on local government ordinances. This is so, because the new Kagawads, City or Barangay, will enact ordinances, which are usually duplicitous of existing national laws or city ordinances…rendering the acts ultra vires. But I’m musing about yesterday. Today’s line-up are intellectually gifted and with the computer at hand, the touch of a finger, can determine whether a proposed ordinance has already been passed or provided for or rendered ineffectual by jurisprudence.
The results of the recent elections did carry unexpected political upheavals and shocks. So many centuries-established political families have been dethroned from public office they had occupied for, it seems, an eternity. Perhaps, time and age, have caught up and there must be an end to everything, political dynasty included.
So, since it is clear, that the pending Bill on Political Dynasty will never be passed…the only solution is the ballot, where the voters decide that it is time for the family to retire from the House or City Hall. Time to go to the farm and plant kamote…then visit the bank at the end of the month and withdraw the Interest on your stolen…I mean, savings.
Speaking out loud, the defeated candidates only lost the office…but greatly gained from the political exercise. Slowly, it is coming out, that the defeated ones made kupit…from the envelopes of the voters. Instead of giving LIMANG DAAN he only gave TAMANG DAAN, (P200), that is why, he lost the elections…but he won the Lottery. Many thought the defeated ones were gago…it turned out…we are the ones who are. Don’t mind me. I am just envious that I did not receive my envelope.
Do you think that time will ever come…when elections are held without envelopes?/PN
