Shame, Shame, Shame
By Manny Pinol
While the whole country is having a rude awakening on the evils of the politics of money, political leaders in the Province of North Cotabato seem to be just starting to enjoy it.
Last Aug. 28, over 160 city and municipal councilors received envelopes containing P10,000 from top politicians of North Cotabato with the understanding that their votes for the presidency of the provincial chapter of the Philippine Councilors’ League (PCL) would go to Magpet town councilor Bebot Maranon, a candidate of the governor.
The presidency of the PCL would automatically make the councilor an ex-officio member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan or Provincial Board which enacts ordinances, passes resolutions and more importantly, approves the funding requests of the Governor.
All told, Maranon garnered over 160 votes as against the 13 votes earned by former judge and now No. 1 Kidapawan City councilor Francis Palmones Jr., a new member of the Liberal Party.
Ironically. the incumbent Governor, who joined LP in 2012 prior to the 2013 elections, supported a PCL candidate who is not a member of the ruling party, an issue which Palmones said he would take up with the LP headquarters in Manila.
So, Maranon will be called Board Member for the next three years with the aid of over P1.6-M, a considerable expenses for a position which would pay him about P25,000 a month.
The giving of small tokens to delegates during the conventions to elect officials of political groups, including the Sangguniang Kabataan has long been a practice in Philippine politics but the spending for votes became more intense over the last few years.
Money politics reared its ugly head in the province starting the early 2000 and was at its worse in the last elections when a candidate for a major political position reportedly spent over P1-B for a position which pays only P50,000 a month.
Even high-powered firearms were reportedly given out to rebel groups just to get their support in controlling the voting in their influenced areas.
There were reports that in the last elections local leaders in the riverside of Kabacan town received three M-14 automatic rifles and P300,000 each to support a group of political candidates.
Intelligence reports also indicated that brand-new China-made AK47s were also given to rebel commanders in the riverside of Midsayap town prior to the elections, including huge amounts of money.
The giving out money including rice and goodies during the elections has become part of the realities of Philippine politics, although the law prescribes a limit for election spending.
The problem is, as the pork barrel drama has bared for everybody to see, politicians who spend big during elections will always find a way to recover their expenses plus interests.
How will council and now board member Maranon recover P1.6-M?
That is a question almost all of us already know the answer.
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