Election fever is finally over. There is little doubt, if any, that billions of pesos passed from the pockets of the candidates and their supporters to the open and waiting hands of many, many, many voters.
Still it must be noted that all candidates, winners and losers alike, had their own campaign promises which all boiled down to better governance that would translate into better public service and better lives for their constituents. From the senatorial candidates, among the more remarkable promises was the commitment to oppose political dynasties whose proliferation we can only attribute to man’s greed, which drives him to get what he wants when he wants it.
In our province of Leyte we have the political dynasty of the Petillas, from whose ranks we have a governor and a good number of mayors, provincial board members and councilors; and in Tacloban City, we have the Romualdez dynasty from which we have a reelected congressman and a third-term mayor.
While we, members of the Tacloban City Federation of Senior Citizens (Tacfesca), share the general sentiment against political dynasties, we will not make an issue out of it. Instead, we
will see to it that every peso that goes into the city treasury will be spent for genuine and meaningful public service, not for personal gain. We have resolved among ourselves to do so by exercising bold vigilance and by dedicating to this undertaking individual and collective time and effort. We believe that it is only through citizen vigilance that we can stop the prostitution of public service by corrupt government officials, whether elected or appointed.
We, therefore, appeal to all the losing candidates not to give up on their cause or promises, and instead to continue breathing life into those promises, until government shall have no other way but to truly serve public interest.
—ERLINDA L. BUTALID, president
Tacloban City Federation of Senior Citizens (TACFESCA) NASECORE, LEYECO II Chapter