LAST week Mindanaoans, especially those from the Davao Region, were agog with political talks. What with the holding of a national convention and formal launching of a new political party which calls itself the Partido Para sa Pilipino or PPP. The national convention was held in Tagum City, Davao del Norte with most of its participants from all over the country in virtual attendance only and some 50 top party personalities actually present.
We have written about the creation of the new political party but only insofar as its primary objectives are concerned and not much on the details of its intentions and the mode with which it plans to attain all of them. We were not one of the Davao City-based media people who got lucky to be invited to witness the launching. Maybe they believe we are already this insignificant. Anyhow, we learned about what transpired in that launch when it was included in the news broadcast by a local television network. From there we can already deduce who are those behind the party that is newly accredited by the Commission on Elections, and the person who is its current President.
And luckily for us, one of the leading media personalities involved in the giving of face to the party to the public has communication access to us. He sent us some electronic copies of documents that could educate us further of the PPP’s advocacy. This media guy was emphatic about sharing with us the PPP’s 12-point agenda. Perhaps this friend of ours believes that we could be fully convinced of the intentions of the party if we will know to the minutest detail the party agenda and how it is going to make it happen. Honestly, all of the 12-point agenda appear to be not totally alien to us. We have heard or read about it from statements of some politicians either in his or her personal capacity’s pronouncements or his party’s collective advocacy. But the PPP’s presentation is somehow done in a clear, holistic, and definitive manner, specifically in the aspects of its rallying call, components, and the means of achieving the same.
So, what consists of these PPP’s 12-point agenda which the party believes can be attained if the candidates they will support will come to power? Yes, the PPP is one party that is not putting up candidates in the forthcoming national and local elections. It is not yet ready for such a bruising battle. Instead it is throwing its support to the candidates who they think are with the party’s advocacy and can very well carry out the 12-point agenda to its fruition.
First is poverty alleviation, support to livelihood and creation of employment opportunities. Second is the national industrialization. Third in the agenda is enhancement of agricultural production, processing and marketing of products. The fourth point is its support to moves for a genuine Federal government, local autonomy, and the strengthening of political parties. Then the fifth is the protection and self-determination of indigenous peoples, ICCs and the Bangsamoro. Sixth is it pitch for a socialized housing and human settlement. The seventh is the PPP’s call for better health and education for all Filipinos. Eighth in the agenda is empowerment and protection of the country’s most vulnerable sectors. Then, the ninth is the PPP’s pitch for the development and use of renewable energy. The party is also including as its tenth agenda the strategy of natural farming and organic agriculture. The 11th of 12-point agenda is the call for a responsible exploration and utilization of the country’s natural resources; and the 12th is the need to enhance capacity and partnership building.
In all the 12-point agenda there is always the appropriate and specific rallying call to action. It also has a clearly defined objective and the components with which the actions needed have to be focused on. And the means with which the PPP intends to use if only to attain the agenda’s desired objective includes as the top mantra the need for legislative support from Congress. Of course, because it is common knowledge that no matter how noble the intentions are if these do not have the enabling legislative support, nothing will come out of it.
Already the party has expressed who the Presidential candidate it will support this coming May 2022 elections. Perhaps its leadership is totally convinced that their chosen personality – Presidential daughter Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, if she’d eventually run for the top post – has the “it” to fulfill all of the 12-point agenda. But will the Davao City mayor be lured into running by her excellent performance in many surveys conducted? This remains to be seen.
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Meanwhile, we congratulate the Nikkie Jin Kai School of Calinan under Principal Mrs. Carmen Apigo for its being able to solicit scholarship grants to 10 of its students. The grant surely from Japan (although we are not certain if this was done by the government or by some individual Japanese) is a welcome one, especially by parents of students who are well under their hardest time because of the CoViD 19 pandemic.
From what we knew the scholarship covers free tuition for the 10 students who are now in their Grades 11 and 12.
Indeed Mrs. Apigo as principal has brought a lot of positive development for that particular school in Calinan which caters mostly to descendant of Japanese in this part of the country. We take our hat off to you Ma’am..
