There is no truth to reports that what led the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to allow couples Alan Peter Cayetano-Lani Cayetano, and Rep. Suharto “Teng” Mangudadatu-Bai Mariam Lim Sangki-Mangudadatu to run as representatives of the first and second districts of Taguig (for the former), and for governor of Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao (for the latter) was that the two couples have their houses constructed on the boundaries of the areas concerned.
Meaning half of the house of the Cayetano couple stands on the first district and the other half on the second district of Taguig City. As for the Mangundadatus half of their house stands on Sultan Kudarat side and half on the Maguindanao area. Each of the spouses stays on the portion of the house that is situated on the province/districts they ran.
Well, such thought is, as we said, simply a product of our stressed mind thinking of how some politicians make a mockery of our election laws.
Of course we know that it only takes one to register as voter in an area to qualify him to run for public office in that particular province, district, city or municipality.
But what a way for a political family to control areas of their choice by letting spouses, sons, daughters and other relatives run in every political unit there is.
Again who is to blame for this? The framers of the 1987 Constitution of course and the lawmakers who passed every enabling law for certain provisions of the Charter including the country’s electoral processes.
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We read in a national broadsheet report on the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) granting some kind of calamity loans to farmers in Mindoro Provinces whose livelihood was affected by the El Nino.
That’s one welcome news especially for the farmers of the island provinces. But why not extend the loan grants to other areas badly affected by the long drought? Mindanao has its own share of provinces that are hit by the long dry season. Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental are only two of the Mindanao areas that were hit and its agricultural productivity diminished to the maximum.
Did not the GSIS local offices in Mindanao see the impact of the El Nino in this southern Philippine island?
Or, do the offices of the government pension firm in this part of the country need to wait for the local government executives to bend their knees to seek the agency’ assistance to the farmers’ affected?
How can the keepers of the pension funds of government workers be so uncaring?
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The Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is now launching its Search for Outstanding Tech-Voc Partners.
This early we are recommending for the nomination of Davao Light and Power Co. to the plum. Over the last four years the Aboitiz-owned power utility has been giving its best to support TESDA in developing the youth in terms of providing them technical skills associated to the power industry. It has partnered with TESDA in advancing electrical installation skills to students in various Davao City public high schools. The company has even gone to remote places to train out-of-school youths on electrical installation discipline.
And late last year the power utility constructed a training facility for future electricians right inside the compound of TESDA in Tibungco, Davao City.
With all those who will pass the portal of that training facility given the needed national certification Davao will surely have no dearth of highly skilled electricians when the present crop will be retiring or have gone abroad for greener pasture.
We therefore have no doubt that should Davao Light be nominated it can hurdle the qualifying requirements to make it to the award.
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