Friday, October 12, 2018

A Need for a Political Research about Occidental Mindoro



Marty Rubin, one of my favorite modern-day aphorists, penned this one-liner: “An echo has no voice of its own.” To put it in the positive light, I think an echo can be likened to a research work that only resonates the voices of the respondents.

When I was still at the Social Action Center (SAC) of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose, I dreamed of reading a sort of a political research work aimed at describing and analyzing the structure and the dynamics of the present-day Occidental Mindoro, say from 1970s to date, which is anchored on the province’s politics of public administration. My search was futile. The people in the academic field are apparently more interested in some other scholastic endeavors than this particular kind of investigation or study.

Talking of researches and echoes, in 1962, there was a student paper published by the University of the Philippine’s (UP) students from Mindoro called “The Mindoro Echoes” where some of its staff members are tasked to conduct researches financed by the university’s Institute of Public Administration. Its editor that time is a student named Edgar Tarriela. The Up research team was led by Dr. Remigio E. Agpalo and started 15th of April that year. Aside from Tarriela part of the team are Juan Tapales and Artemio Arellano. They, at that time, are all graduates of UP with AB Political Science degrees. Tapales and Arellano then are both working for their master’s degree while Tarriela is pursuing his course in law.

The research mostly consists of field interviews and ocular observations and their interviewees were local elected officials in select towns of Occidental Mindoro.  The tedious tasks made by the OCM-born students paved the way for the publication of Agpalo’s book, which was published a decade later (1972), titled “The Political Elite and the People: A Study of Politics in Occidental Mindoro”. This is the only documented and published research on the subject matter as far as I know. I just do know why.

As far as I know, there are colleges in San Jose which are offering graduate studies in Public Administration. I do not know what prevents the students in researching such a badly needed academic output. I have my own speculations that I do not want to share here.

Why such a research is important? First and foremost, the citizens can be provided with information on our political mindsets as a people living in one community that could very well guide us to our main quest of participatory citizenship, civic duty and public functions.

On the part of the local government officials, it will provide data that could help evaluate and assess the needs and aspirations of their constituents or the people. And, from Agpalo’s own words, “Thus, public officials will be able to formulate and adopt enlightened policies based on adequate and objective information to cope with the province’s problems.” I just do not if these are important to them other than winning each electoral race.

Allow me to reiterate the need for such a research and call on the attention of the competent and independent men and women in the academic field to please initiate it for you are the most qualified, credible and capable to handle such a noble work than this biased, lowly blogger and story-teller.

Or I just sound like an echo talking only to myself…

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(Photo: researchguides.library.wisc.edu)

Source: Remigio E. Agpalo;“The Political Elite and the People: A Study of Politics in Occidental Mindoro”; 1972; p. 390-390; University of The Philippines’ College, College of Public Administration, Manila.







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