Go out and fight!!!!

Today we either vote for our choice or merely fill in the blanks with names of complete strangers who are running for Barangay Captain or village councilors. The more pragmatic and less idealistic among our neighbors are all at home or at the beach fully convinced that the decision has already been made for them either by an overwhelmingly popular candidate or a majority of people who officially don’t even qualify to be part of our village or barangay.

My first observation about this latest barangay election is the fact that out of 20 or 30 plus candidates running in our village elections, I actually know only two individuals. I know our Barangay Captain by virtue of his position and I know one of his would be opponents by virtue of the fact that the fellow happens to be my neighbor. This leads me to wonder who and where are the rest of the aspirants from? One would imagine that anyone wishing to lead and be in a position of authority over an entire village or barangay would be persons personally or physically known to the residents.

In the 15 or so years I’ve lived in our barangay, I’ve come to know of no more than 5 barangay officials and not even intimately or close enough to really know their qualifications and their integrity. The thought that I know more national leaders than those inside my own barangay makes me realize that these people have never made door to door visits even during the official campaign period. They never hosted any get together or meet and greet events at the local amphitheater. Just as bad is the fact that these professional politicians or aspirants have not established or promoted their causes and concerns or whatever it is they stand for. I can’t even tell what any of them has done in terms of beautification, peace and order, or benefits provided to residents.

By and large they are strangers and sadly after the uncontrolled commercialization of Barangay Kapitolyo, I can’t say that these politicians are “Strangers in Paradise” because our once quiet community has been eaten up by commerce, noise, traffic and pollution.

After realizing we have strangers for leaders, the next thing I discovered is that the elections in our place will not be decided by the official residents who own property, pay real estate taxes and possess land titles. No! There is palpable and legitimate concern that the elections in Barrio Kapitolyo will be decided in numbers by: “Squatters”. Call them by any other name the fact of the matter is that their colonies and communes do not exist in any formal map and certainly not in any tax maps of the City of Pasig or the BIR.

Yes that is the situation here and chances are this scenario is duplicated in just about every barangay or locality at least in Metro Manila. The political influence and impact of the “squatters” are such that a number of aspirants have spent the last 3 months or more prior to the campaign period attending birthdays, baptisms, weddings and funerals where they have sat at the head of the table or “Buma-bangka” playing benefactor and bartender at the same time. Even the incumbent set of officials have found themselves “forced” to drink and be merry with the informal settlers who will ultimately decide who runs the village business even though squatters don’t own cars, don’t own businesses, don’t own properties etc.

The good and kind-hearted political scientists are quick to remind us that this is democracy at work. Bull Shit! Democracy is based on a majority of equals who have evolved together as a community or as a people sharing the same goals and responsibilities as citizens. There can be no democratic exercise in a false or artificial environment where the majority of numbers and votes are engineered or orchestrated by a politician or political power for the sole purpose of having a rich bed of loyal voters to harvest votes from.

In terms of qualifications and documentation, I am told that in order to qualify and be a registered voter, one must have a birth certificate. What I surmise is that many of the current registered voters from “informal communities” don’t have birth certificates and were facilitated or accommodated via other less stringent documents via barangay officials in the past and in the present. What is the basis of residency for squatters if they don’t own a house or don’t rent a house? “Informal settlers” by the very term is an admission for disqualification to vote based on residency. Again it’s the barangay certificate, isn’t it? Yes it all starts and ends at the Barangay Hall!

The tragedy is that many politicians have discovered that for many informal settlers their vote goes to the highest bidder or the best provider. When the squatter hoarding politician is no longer in power, their worst and longest lasting curse upon us are squatters who then dictate the quality of life and peace and order in our communities. Their tricycle populations explode along with their noise pollutions, they line up on our main roads as parking aides or rip off artists, while “tambays” go around villages seeking “opportunities” for a fast buck, free fruits from our trees or free use of facilities such as basketball courts that we the residents have to pay when we want to use them.

From the very beginning we should make it a criminal liability for any local official to prohibit, prevent, or evict squatters in public or private property under their authority. It is their job to protect the lives and property of taxpayers and residents. And just in case you’ve every wondered why “City hall” never catches “Professional squatters” or Slum Landlords, well think about it: How does one arrest one’s self? 

Any veteran Police Officer will tell you: any and all criminal activity that grows or persists in a barangay, town or city can only do so with the direct or indirect approval of the top officials.

After reading this you might say: what’s the point? Why vote if we will simply be out voted?  That is the point, for you to realize that the quality of your life is being decided on by politicians and outsiders. It’s your life, your family’s and it’s where you invested a lot of time and money. Fight for it. Make others realize: it’s not an election it’s a battle. Go out and fight.

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