In a previous column we wrote about the campaign team of the Karlo Nograles-led local opposition in Davao City appearing to have started wrong in its initial activities. And we mean is the team’s supposed organization of volunteer cores for the upcoming campaign for the local polls in May 2025
Specifically we mentioned about the team management’s allowing the program anchors to call Nograles’ team’s candidates as “Mayor” and Dr. Bernie Al-ag “Vice Mayor,” cadidate to the House as “Congressman” and for the City Council aspirants as “Councilors so and so.”
Then as enticement for the people to attend the organizational foray, Nograles team also timed the distribution of the so-called “ayudas” which we presumed coming from the national government. And worst was that the program attendant to the activity allowed the candidates to deliver their addresses which, whether the candidates disagree or not with political as well as man-on-the street observers, already have what it takes as campaign speeches.
Personally, it is our take that the scheme of things in activities like that are wrong ways to start the young Nograles’ team journey towards the May 2025 midterm polls.
However, when we saw the convoy bringing Karlo and his team to the barangay where they held their latest “volunteer core organizing” that we noted another scene that could possibly alienate the voters in Davao City’s rural and economically depressed areas to the candidates offering to serve them.
Yes, in villages outside the more developed sections of Davao City people who mostly survived through what they earn from their farm work, or earn from working in poultry and swine farms, will be more than happy if they receive five kilos of rice and a handful of grocery items. But they still prefer to feel that their leaders are among them who they can approach the easiest manner. In other words, the people in the rural areas still have their sensitivity intact and any feeling of alienation could influence their decision when election time comes..
We are referring to the scene of Karlo’s team, candidates included, riding in high-end sports utility vehicles (SUVs) with tinted glasses that deny the rural residents the opportunity to see the men and women who offer themselves to be of service to them. Yes, we saw SUVs, vans and pick-up vehicles carrying the team and its candidates going to the area and whisking them back after the distribution of the assistance and delivering of their speeches.
Frankly, such display of luxurious travel to underdeveloped areas which is characteristic of most, if not all previous and present local and national administrations, will most likely make majority of the people in the margin think whether or not those who propose a change would even endure for long to be with those they hope to convince to believe them.
We can only hope that Karlo with his team will be able to realize this weakness in their approach in making the Davao constituents believe they are sincere in their offer for change to the better. They still have enough time.
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Mindanao Developmwent Authority (MinDA) chair Sec. Leo Tereso Magno recently expressed fear that if no new energy producers come to Mindanaso there will be no new investors that will be coming within the next few years.
Why Sir, is there not a single local or foreign business group manifesting interest in investing money for power projects in Mindanao? We thought the field on the power generation business is very bullish not just in Luzon and the Visayas but in Mindanao as well? So why is the MinDA boss saying now that there is a seeming absence of interested capitalists on energy development?
And yes, the Secretary during the same media forum disclosed that there are “a number of interested energy companies from Singapore and Japan, so why fear that the firms concerned may not be able to upgrade the number in terms of megawatts of power produced in the island? What is the status of their application to develop or come up with power generation plants? Are their plans to put up energy development ventures still in papers or are in the hands of those who decide whether it is officially go or not?
On the other hand we were aware that certain Filipino business conglomerates have showed interest in putting their resources to build generating establishments in Mindanao some years back. Where are they now and why are they maintaining a deafening silence?
Is the Mindanao situation where power generation players are somewhat shying away from this southern Philippine island a manifestation that something is not right in the present governance vis-à-vis its treatment of the island and its people?
Again we are asking because the national economic situation as reported at the national level is somewhat telling a totally different story further stating that the national economic growth rate is one of the best in Asia.
Has national politics something to do with the ambiguous reports of the situation?
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