"People seek their help for all kinds of needs."
I can’t believe Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go is not running for the Senate at the rate his photo and name are appearing on the papers every day.
He must think people are stupid. He keeps denying what is obvious.
As a voter, what I’d like to know is where Go is coming from—his academic background, his experience in governance and legislation. All I know about him is that he is always at the background when the President is around. He also likes taking selfies.
That is, of course, aside from the fact that he belongs to a family of Davao City contractors. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism has reported that the family firm had cornered some P4.2 billion worth of public works contracts.
Is loyalty to the President now a ticket to the Senate?
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In two weeks or so, candidates for the mid-term elections in 2019 will be filing their certificates of candidacy.
If there is anything that is certain, it is that political dynasties will once again dominate the polls. We can start with the Duterte family in Davao. Presidential daughter Sara Duterte Carpio will run for reelection as city mayor. Former vice mayor Paolo Duterte will run for Congress.
I have nothing against political dynasties per se because I know that some of them are good for their communities. The people can always go to them when they are in need. They have money to spread around.
Some political dynasties in fact serve the common good. That is the reason members of a political dynasty are welcomed by voters.
Lest I am misunderstood, I see nothing wrong with Sara Duterte running for re-election. She has done a lot of good for her city. Likewise, Paolo should run for Congress if that is what the people want.
Because of poverty, people rely a lot on political dynasties to help them.
This is why elections cost a lot. How many voters are needed for a candidate to win? See how our elections are getting more prohibitive as the years go by?
In the Senate, I have been told, candidates have to fork out over P500 million to run a viable campaign.
Still, there are other dynasties who prey on the poor. There are also dynasties that get involved in drugs or gambling, like the Parojinog family of Ozamis City.
The argument against dynasties is that they deprive people who are more qualified from holding office.
This is a cycle. The poor support the dynasties because they need to. They cannot expect help from candidates who have no funds.
This is where the problem begins. There are those who spread money around during the campaign – and try to recover it through corrupt practices while I office.
This is Philippine politics, like it or not.
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At this point, I want to ask what President Duterte achieved in zeroing in on his staunch critic, Senator Antonio Trillanes.
I say nothing except make Trillanes the face of the opposition, something the senator does not even deserve.
The President apparently acted upon the advice of Solicitor General Jose Calida, whom Trillanes was investigating for his family’s security agency that had snagged contracts with various government offices.
Note that during the 25 days that Trillanes was living in the Senate to avoid arrest, only a sparse crowd was seen rallying for him. This shows he does not enjoy much credibility.
I don’t even know why Trillanes became a senator. He is abrasive and arrogant. As a presidential critic, he is a small voice in the wilderness. This is, I believe, a mistake of the President.
Trillanes is now being accused of not filing his application for amnesty and not admitting his guilt in the coup agains then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The issue still has to be decided by the Supreme Court.
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This month is dedicated to teachers. I wish to commend teachers who commit to this noble profession. I know their travails and sacrifices.
I belong to a family of teachers – my mother, father, brother and I were all teachers.
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