Yesterday, my brother, Bong, sent me photos of a farmer standing proudly in front of a Small Water Impounding Project holding a catfish as huge as his limbs.
Farmer Ramon Sorianosos of Pulanglupa, M’lang had been catching fish from the SWIP from which he also gets water from his farm during the dry season.
Sorianosos’ SWIP was one of about 100 water catchment projects which I implemented when I was a young Mayor of my birthplace, Mlang.
When I was elected Mayor of Mlang in 1995, a late replacement for my late father, Bernardo, who fell ill towards the homestretch of the campaign, I came up with a simplified governance approach by identifying the basic needs of my townmates.
Water, Light, Roads, Livelihood and Peace or the WLRLP Program became my governance battlecry.
Water Systems and Roads leading to the remote villages were built, along with the Small Water Impounding Projects to conserve water in the upland areas of the town.
Power lines leading to the remote barangays were established while livelihood projects were emphasized along with the settlement of old land disputes between the indigenous Maguindanao population and the Christian settlers.
I was Mayor of Mlang for only one term because in 1998, then Governor Rosario Diaz asked me to run for Governor which I won without money, just a promise of a replication of what I did in Mlang.
When my three terms as Governor ended, the poverty incidence in North Cotabato went down from a high 52% in 1998 to only 29% in 2007.
Today, the SWIPs I built as mayor of Mlang 25 years ago still serve the farmers while the rural roads opened up in the nine years as Governor of Cotabato stand as monuments of a practical governance approach represented by five letters – W-L-R-L-P.
Farmer Ramon Sorianosos swears that the SWIP helped him so much that he remained loyal to my political advocacies and was never tempted by the lure of money to vote for other candidates.
Looking back, I asked myself: Ano kaya ang nangyari kung payong, tsinelas, sombrero, bigas at sardinas ang ipinamigay ko instead of building roads, SWIPs, water systems, electrical connections and livelihood projects?
This is the tragedy of our political governance in the country today where our political leaders just focus on winning the next elections instead of establishing projects which would serve the people in the long term.
But then again, our political leaders today cannot win an election if they do not spend millions for a position that officially pays only a few thousand pesos.
A friend from a province where vote buying is so ingrained in the political system complained that even blood relatives refuse to support their family members if they do not get paid for their votes.
So, the politicians in his province do not bother to implement meaningful projects anymore because they know that all that they need to do is buy votes to win.
The result? A very high poverty incidence and a raging insurgency which make life very difficult for people.
This is the vicious political cycle which has thrashed us into an institutional corruption which does not seem to have an end.
The only way to cut this is for the next leaders of our country to live up to their campaign promise of ending corruption and not be blinded by the color of money.
May God help us!
(Photos of farmer Ramon Sorianosos in front of his SWIP built 25 years ago were taken by Bong Piñol.)
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