(By Haidee Ingking)
WOMAN LENS
BY BELINDA SALES
MY FASCINATION for political rallies started when I found myself smack in the middle of the crowd in front of the stage where Cory Aquino was giving a discourse at the then Agora Public Market in Tagbilaran City. I was spotted chanting “Cory! Cory!” with the hand sign “Laban” (L). I was just twelve then. Politics might not have been in my DNA, but it was already in my peripheral vision.
Life’s twists and turns brought me out of the country as a young adult. After about 19 years of work and training in Singapore, I decided to come back home, to spend time with my 96- and 90-year-old parents.
Diri na ko sukad 2016 ug naabtan na ‘ko sa pandemya (COVID-19). Nasinati nato ang kalisod sa atong kahimtang ug sa mga katawhan. Walay income kay walay trabaho. Namugna ang “Atbang’s Bolhigh Community Pantry (ABCP)” together with my co-organizers nga si Joan Llanos, my cousins, and a brother. It would not have been possible without the help of our Tagbilaranon volunteers. And what made it so special was that some of our volunteers are reformed tambays nga nahatagan nato ug chance to serve the community. ABCP lasted for three months, the longest community pantry diri sa Bohol. Dako jud namong pasalamat sa tanang donors from various places, both local and overseas!
Niabot ang 2022 national election campaign and I accepted the role of Provincial Coordinator sa Robredo People’s Council diri’s Bohol. Sa atong paglibot, nakita nato ang kahimtang sa atong komunidad, and I realized kung unsa ka importante ang trabaho sa mga barangay officials that pushed me to run for Barangay Councilor in Cogon.
Coming from a non-political family, nidagan ko as an independent candidate ug wala moapil sa mga political line-up. Labaw sa tanan, wala ta mamalit ug boto (maski piso). It was my first time to run, and I am very thankful that I was given this rare opportunity to serve in my humble capacity as Cogon Barangay Councilor. As Chairperson sa Committee on Education, Women and Children, buot nako nga mapadayon ang ato nang nasugdan nga mga lakang.
Naay mga concerns nga mas matabangan sa atong pang-gobyerno sa syudad, sama sa pag-strengthen sa protection sa atong mga kabataan. Tinabangan sa mga Civil Society Organizations, nasugdan na nato ang pag-orient sa atong kabaranggayan sa pag-establish sa tagsa-tagsa ka Barangay Human Rights Action Center. Hopefully, mas mapangusgan pa jud ni sa atong syudad aron masayran sa tanan ang atong katungod isip duty bearers ug rights holders. Usa lamang kana sa atong mga nasugdan na. Naa pa kita’y lain pud nga programa alang sa women and children ug sa uban pa natong mga adbokasiya.
This coming 2025 Midterm Elections, ako nanghinaot nga kini nga piniliay ug sa future elections, mamahimong fair playing field alang sa tanan nga buot muserbisyo ug mangalagad nga tinud-anay. Adunay daghan nga angayan, pero moatras or mawad-an og gana or interes nga mopapili tungod kay wala man intawon lagi’y gisaligan nga makinarya or kwarta. Naa puy mga nakadaug sa piniliay nga wala pud mamalit og boto sama nako. Mao nga nanghinaot ko nga mas modaghan pa gyud unta ang manirbesyo ug pilion sa mga botante tungod sa kapasidad to serve, sa competence, transparency, integrity ug sincerity. The people deserve better leaders who may not have the money apan naay mga hiyas sa lider nga tiunay ug ligdong.
Running “independent” without the usual advantage of readily available machinery may be an uphill climb but it is a calculated risk worth taking. It is high time that the political landscape forms a different shape here in Bohol and turns the tide against those that keep the voters beholden.
Here is somebody who may not fit in their typical idea of a political runner whose gaze is fixed on probably just winning the race and advancing oneself to the next level; someone who is breaking the mold of traditional politics where money talks and patronage is entrenched in the system and the community. Here we have an apparent alternative which is like a breath of fresh air; independent-minded, with a wealth of experience in the corporate world and the arts; and schooled at UP, LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, and our very own “BolHigh,” and HSS.
A woman whose heart is in the right place, and mind that’s “Ingking of you” — championing your voice!
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The writer hosts Woman Talk with Belinda Sales every Saturday, 10 a.m. at 91.1 Balita FM Tagbilaran City. Email at belindabelsales@gmail.com. X @ShilohRuthie./PN
