POLITICAL APATHY

Something Smells


by: Jose. Ma. S. Jalandoni

It’s been what, more than 10 months since the big Anti- Baha motorcade was exercised by genuinely concerned citizens of Bacolod. If we were to go to the Banago Road ( from the Bata intersection to Banago) where the anti - flooding project is going on, you will surprisingly realize upon careful scrutiny, that the main outlets for the floods are now even more blocked by the unfinished work. Why? Because there are still illegal settlers squatting who have not been relocated. Worse, the areas that have been vacated in the initial phase have since been built on again by other squatters in the area. They have flagrantly ignored the notices, the warnings, the law! Why has nothing been done even after they have already been declared by the city as “ nuisance”? Because, I hear over and over again, these are beloved “voters”. This is a very good example of the meaning of this short article’s title.

There is an apparent indifference or lack of interest on the part of our local officials otherwise the project would have been completed already, or at least, almost completed as planned. The turtle - like pace of the project certainly smacks of the lack of political will. It will take no less than our top local official to complete the project since the buck stops with him. Unless, he exercises his duty and implements the law as the top executive in our city, the Banago floodway project will not be finished.

We hear about similar projects all over the country and the lack of political will of other local executives. That is why our country is in such dire straits. Our uncompleted Banago floodway is a perfect example.
So what now? We know that the city officials concerned have been updated regularly with what needs to be done, thanks to the efforts of the BAHA ( Bacolod Anti Baha Alliance) as well as other concerned individuals. The BAHA group has persistently and consistently been seeing to that by joining the Flood Control Mitigating Committee set up by USEC Anthony Golez. The three main projects in the committee are: Flood Control, Housing and Solid Waste Management.

What have the officials involved been providing since the Committee was formed last June, 2008? Minimum requirements: the cleaning and clearing of waterways and drainage areas that should have been maintained/ cleaned anyway as part of the basic service deliverables of the city, the tagging of illegal structures in the disaster prone waterways and yet, no actual relocation of these squatters, and the purchase of another area to dump garbage which according to the officials will be a permanent landfill. Unless top management decides to apply the full force of the executive, all the efforts of the line department heads will be futile. It is true that previous administrations have not done all these basic services adequately enough since we got the floods of previous years. Blaming the ineptitude of previous administrations is also conveniently available to the present administration - political apathy again.
I personally believe, ever so strongly, that if it were not for that eye opening motorcade last Nov. 2007, the city government would not have known the gravity of the situation and they would not have lifted a finger. If and when these projects are completed successfully, I believe credit should go to where credit is due. The truth always, always, comes out in the end. There will always be competent citizens and officials who will attest to it. Political apathy must become a thing of the past.