WE ARE looking forward to knowing the platforms of government of all those who are aspiring to become mayor of Davao City to be disseminated as widely as possible through the social media. That is, if they find it very expensive in publishing the same in local newspaper or having these announced or shown on television and/or billboards, posters and leaflets. Why not post it on the social media fully or on staggered basis?
It is our take that the social media as venue can reach to the majority, if not all of the voters in the city than having the platforms communicated in some other ways. And if we have to agree that the younger generation now consists the biggest number of the voting population even in the rural areas, then all the more that having their governance plans carried in the dominant communications facilities today becomes a necessity.
Really, we believe that if we have to make sure that whoever wins in the mayoralty contest is the learned, wisest and best preference of the people then it becomes imperative that they be completely aware of what the candidates from whom they will make their choice are up for the city and the Davaoenos in general. And how does this awareness be made possible? Simply provide the people the knowledge of what they can expect from their preferred candidate through a venye nost accessible to everyone and at the least cost – social media.
As far as we are concerned informing all sectors of the population of the candidates’ platforms as extensively as maybe possible will make the voters discerning and will have basis in making their final decision who to vote for. They will not just end up herded along with some blind supporters of this and that candidate and join bandwagons that normally result to a catastrophic administration after each election.
***********************
A friend who we did not hear for a long time suddenly called us up over Messenger to say hello and asked how we are doing.
We suspect though that he has other agenda in mind. We noted that he was asking us how much we know of the candidacy of retired PNP Chief General Guillermo Eleazar who is running for senator under the ticket of Presidential candidate Panfilo Lacson.
Of course we told our friend that Eleazar’s candidacy did not escape our knowledge considering his stature and of the nature of our work as a media practitioner in Davao. Then we threw back to him the question how is the general faring considering that he seemed to have worked for him in the Davao Region or perhaps in the entire Mindanao or even the country. He claimed he was in the national capital region when he made the call to us.
Our friend was quick to tell us that as far as the Davao provinces are concerned the retired police chief is getting a strong support in the Province of Davao del Norte. He too assumes that with the backing of Congressman Pantaleon Alvarez the Eleazar support could fan to the rest of the Southern Mindanao Region.
We were somewhat surprised with what our friend said. From his statement we assumed he was not aware at that time that Alvarez was in the process of dumping Lacson in favor of Leni Robredo. So we asked him whether he knew of the former Speaker’s change of heart and how the abandonment of the previous support guarantor will possibly impact on the general’s run.
We found out from our friend’s reaction that indeed he was not fully aware of that development which happened on the very day he called us. Alvarez was to make the announcement of his party’s break from Lacson any time that day.
He said he was hoping that the-Alvarez led group will not include in their dumping those in the senatorial ticket especially General Eleazar. And he still exuded certain degree of optimism that this will happen.
Of course we could sense our friend’s apprehension from his voice knowing that the shift of support by Alvarez from that of Lacson to candidate VP Leni Robredo will definitely erode the base of Eleazar’s perceived advantage in Davao del Norte as banded around possibly by Alvarez’s group before the betrayal.
Yes, we are certain that it would be awkward for the abandoning Aksiyon Demokratiko Party in the Northern Davao Province to keep on campaigning for Eleazar and the rest of the Lacson ticket while at the same time doing away with or skipping the senatorial candidates of the party that the Alvarez’s group has shifted support to.
We nevertheless believe that the General still has enough time for him to restructure his campaign manpower and strategy to address the impact of the Alvarez’s party’s abandonment.
For comments and/or reaction we can be reached through our e-mail address at: victorino.sumalinog@yahoo.com; Mobile No. 09392980435, and land line at 2372169.
