Ex-Future Congressman Peter Alfaro?

 

Is Vice-Governor Peter Alfaro now the congressman that never will be? 

I have heard from the grapevine that the incumbent vice-governor is already out of the race for a seat in congress at least in 2022, the forthcoming election year, as far as his group is concerned.

People from all sides of political fences said that the former Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) president from 1993-1996 (He was just 20 then.), former successive three-termer Sangguniang Panlalawigan (1998-2007) and sitting vice-governor was voted out of the contest by a party mate who is also enthusiastic to compete for a seat in the province’s lone district in the House of Representatives.

After his term as SK President, he worked as Computer Operator – I and got an employment from the Provincial Government of Occidental Mindoro from 1996-1998. During his tenure as an ordinary employee, he was able to learn the true essence of a public servant and made aware of the responsibilities attached to it.

Today is high time for the time-tested politician to upswing from the ranks, rightfully climbing the political ladder of trust and experience.

The guy is an achiever. He did not stop grinding his tools. While performing his legislative task as provincial board member, he took up Master in Public Administration at Occidental Mindoro State College (OMSC), he also took the Licensure Examinations for Agriculturists and passed with a score rating of 82.83%. In short, he is the most academically prepared for the job at Congress from their group if only given a chance. Though not a lawyer, I think he is the darkest horse in the hippodrome come 2022 for that seat in the HOR.  

This writer is not in a position to censure or say anything about the selection process that the group and the possible candidates have underwent. Those party leaders consulted about the matter have their own mechanisms, criteria and reasons that I do not wish to dip my pen into. That thing is of course internal to them.

Further, I have no idea how VG Peter accepted the decision of his local political group or party, if he is disgruntled or not or if he respects the outcome of the process or what would be his next step. Will he instead slide down as board member or, albeit temporarily, be plain and simple “Citizen Peter”? That I do not want to find out anymore.

As a local political observer, I dire say that the man, if likened to a fruit, is now ripe and ready for harvest, in a manner of speaking. 

He is the best contender among the pretenders and that I need not elaborate. His hour is now. But well, until October comes, nothing is final in the horizon of political alignments.

What Alfaro went through in politics is worth pondering. It will give us a closer and serious look at the political culture and system of Occidental Mindoro. This is the only point I wish underline as a knocker of political happenings.

In the course of 2007 elections, Peter J. Alfaro was one of the four people accused of kidnapping. Hon. Ulysses D. Delgado of Regional Trial Court (RTC) No. 44 issued a Warrant of Arrest in August 27, 2008 against Alfaro and four other individuals. He was the Assistant Provincial Agriculturist then. After almost four months of hiding and spending the holidays “on the road”, they finally go back to the fold of the law and face their accuser(s). He and his co-accused re-surfaced in February 16, 2009.

The case was dismissed by the Court of Appeals (CA) pursuant to the Resolution that was issued by the Secretary of Justice on April 1, 2011 in I.S. No. 2007-164. He and his companions were vindicated in the eyes of God and men.

Remember, I used the word “ripe”, not “rotten”. There is a big, big difference between the two.  A true agriculturist knows that.

But this is what I have learned from my Botany class way back in college: ripe fruit leaves the branch.

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(Photo: Vice-Governor Peter de Jesus Alfaro huddles with San Jose (Occidental Mindoro) IPMR to the Sangguniang Bayan Ding “Talon” de Jesus from the former’s FB page.)

 

 

Occidental Mindoro's 2021 Budget

We are just fooling ourselves by saying that the recent tussle between the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the PGO over the 2021 annual budget has NOTHING to do with 2022 elections. It was political (partisanship) in every aspect, to put it plain and simple.

This issue came shortly after President Digong's recent disclosure of DPWH alleged anomalies and in the midst of glaring presence or visibility of known political personalities and other serious concerns that Occidental Mindoro are facing with regards to economic and social disturbances brought about by typhoons, the deceptively and highly politicized issue of power, and the COVID-19 pandemic which, as we all know, became a global health debacle.

The budget proposal is amounting to PhP 1.8-billion being the health sector with the highest allocation of P441,008,005.04.

It is easy to say or think that the SP just doing its mandate under the law that is why the prolonged the deliberation. True, under our present democratic set-up, there is separation of power between the three branches of the government: Executive, Judiciary and Legislative. The spirit of check and balances should run in the very veins of our government.

There is only a hairline difference between governance and politicking and only TIME and TENURE could judge us in that aspect. But how will the SP justify the allegation that the process been deliberately fast tracked and some of the members of the august body were not able to participate and considered absent? 

The executive holds the power of the “sword” and the judiciary the “pen” while the legislature has the power of the “purse.” Needless to say, the power of the “purse” is the ultimate weapon of any legislative body in its arsenal that can be utilized in extreme situations such as partisan political ends. In our case, the Governor only proposes the budget but it is still the SP that has the final say on where that budget should go. And that is the main meat of contention.

History taught us that in the Philippines, it is a blatant reality that this so-called power of the “purse” is used as a tool for (partisan) politics. Tell me that this is not true and I will tell you this: “Tell that to the Marines!”

The main target here is not the whole 2021 proposed budget per se but in the long run, the weight of the gavel will be pounded on the specific budget for the Office of the Governor. To assure that the public coffer will not be used for (partisan) political purposes as the elections go near and now that the rivalry of the two personalities vying for gubernatorial seat is very evident at this early point of time.

Budgeting nitty-gritties such as this between the legislative and the executive branch did not happen in recent memory. It is because the governor and the vice-governor came from the same political group. Both of them can cite provisions on fiscal management and common good but, as I have discussed earlier, the grey area in such line of argument is tremendous.

Indeed, with the re-enacted budget, government services will not be hampered, generally speaking. There could be supplemental budget but that could only be availed in the succeeding quarters of the year. Let us not forget that in our battle with the pandemic and the implementation of basic PPAs, specifically AKAP Hub, this administration's banner health program, will be greatly affected ergo, the people will suffer. 

The re-enacted budget really would not all together hamper the delivery of services of the PLGU but that would make it start with the wrong foot, so to speak. If the province will start on the re-enactment budget on the first quarter or second quarter of 2021, the PGO cannot commence its PPAs favorable to its plans, whatever plans they have.

We cannot allow our people, especially those deprived of government services and been neglected for more than 30 years, once again be sacrificial pawns in the altar of "redundant" politics.

This happenstance will surely drop down and be greatly considered come 2022 when the people who are tired of and fed up with long bankrupt political style in the province cast their votes.

The main dough here is (partisan) politics. The rest, like the supposed “unrealistic” target revenues and income projections, the issue of unemployment, etc., are just icings, believe me.

Unless we are just fooling ourselves.