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Wheres polls-driven prosperity of 2013?

Posted on Tuesday May 14th at 12:00am

POSTSCRIPT By Federico D. Pascual Jr.

MABALACAT CITY (WeRoam/PLDT) Yes, our dusty old town has been converted
into a city by the outgoing 15th Congress, ending the lobbying by Mayor Marino
Boking Morales, bent on becoming our first city executive and lengthening his
political shelf life.
Boking, a jolly good fellow, once asked why I was not that sold to cityhood. Groping for
an answer, I said something about our not even having a fire department.
As a small town kid, I was fascinated by the handsome red fire trucks dashing from
nearby Clark Air Base and the quick-moving firemen who doused burning houses in no
time at all.
We do have a fire department, the mayor protested. He was probably telling the truth,
but I still have to see the fire trucks, sirens and all, even just on fire drills.
*

GOOD NEIGHBORS: In the old days, Mabalacat never bothered securing fire-fighting
equipment not only because we could not afford it, but mainly because Clark Field
was just across the fence near the railroad tracks. One call was enough to unleash the
gleaming fire trucks in a heroic rescue.
The downside was that the water pressure of their Stateside pumps was so strong that
the burning houses, mostly of light materials, usually fell apart when hit by the powerful
blasts of water.
Having digressed already, let me add that Clark under the Americans also had a
modern hospital servicing the medical needs of the US armed forces in the entire
region. Many times, poor cabalens in critical condition survived with the help of Clark
specialists.
*

INFANTILE A.F.P.: This dependence was the same reliance that our supposedly
independent Republic had on the US military during the days when Clark and other
bases propped up our defense system. That was the reason, it seemed, why our
infantile armed forces never grew up.

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There was the 13th US Air Force, ever-ready to scramble. We did not need our own
top-flight air force except for exhibition aerial shows. The fuel and maintenance
requirement alone of a squadron of jetfighters could push our government to
bankruptcy.
We also never saw the need for procuring our own warships because the US Seventh
Fleet was just lurking on the horizon when its men were not on R&R (rest and
recreation) at Subic.
Uncle Sam was always there to scare away the neighborhood bully.
*

STAYING POWER: But back to Boking. The 63-year-old executives staying power is
legendary. His political fortunes could be a case study on how to stay in office, despite
term limits, without trying.
Dont look now, but Boking is good for two more three-year terms -- this time as city
mayor despite his having served as town mayor for four terms already.
After seeing the light, the Supreme Court ruled that there was a break in his
successive terms since his third and supposedly final term was not his, because the
true winner pala was the candidate whom the Comelec had hurriedly declared the
loser.
*

GMA, PINEDA AHEAD: As this is being written, the PCOS (Precinct Count Optical
Scan) machines have not spat out the automated results of Mondays voting. But I will
stick my neck out to say that Boking is likely to win another term in this city of 92,000
or so voters.
Sticking my neck farther out, I also dare say that incumbent Gov. Lilia Pineda will beat
handily her come-backing challenger Fr. Ed Panlilio. Btw, the priests former provincial
administrator Vivian Dabu is sure to lose to former President Gloria Arroyo as
representative of the third district.
Throughout the campaign, Pineda (of the Kambilan party) did not criticize Panlilio or
his patron President Noynoy Aquino. Neither did she say anything negative about the
administrations senatorial candidates who even scurried for her to raise their hands in
endorsement.
* * *
FALSE PROSPERITY: When President Aquino went to town predicting that 2013 will
be a banner year for the economy, we chimed in saying that it will be a good year
since it is an election year.
The amateur economist in us said that with Mr. Aquino himself declaring that the
midterm election is a referendum on his administration, he will flood the country with
government spending in infrastructure and everything else to stimulate the economy.

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The conventional wisdom is that the massive campaign spending and government
fund releases will trigger a kind of false prosperity this year.
Looking around, however, one is wont to ask where the promised prosperity, true or
false, is.
*

VOTE-BUYING: The sight and scent of dirty money finally swept the nation over the
weekend.
Media were rife with reports of vote-buying, the rates ranging from P100 in depressed
areas to P3,500 in middle class communities. The amount appears to depend on how
long or short the voters are willing to sell themselves and how deep the candidates
pocket is.
Reminiscent of Jaime Cardinal Sin giving similar advice, Comelec Chairman Sixto
Brillantes Jr. told voters to get the money offered but vote according to their
conscience.
The widespread vote-buying, from one perspective, simply means there is widespread
poverty and political immaturity.
There is thinking also that with too many civic groups watching, automated cheating
has become more difficult to carry out.
As a result, the theory goes, the millions intended for the computerized rigging of the
election results have been diverted to vote-buying.
*

RESEARCH: Access past POSTSCRIPTs at www.manilamail.com. Follow us

viaTwitter.com/@FDPascual. Send feedback to fdp333@yahoo.com
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