March 29, 2024

HOW MANY OF our officials – high and lower, really (or intend to really) serve the public – sa totoo lang, only the truth, please?
EVEN FOR US – civilians and non-politicians, that is such a mind-boggling Question; for: how do we know? How can we tell?
EVERY-ONE (OR ALMOST all) of them is saying (or singing) but one song: ‘they’re serving (even with the punctuated adverb-modifier ‘unselfishly’; thus ‘unselfishly indeed serving’) the public! Uh-huh, wait a minute: but why are there so many claims (and complaints too!) – from some not-a-few camps, that: ‘this and that incumbent have other priorities’; or, ‘Councilor So and So has got some personally-aggrandizing projects/agenda’ and so on? What do you think, dear Reader? What do you say?
WITH SOME OR most angles considered, are we about to say what people were saying in Rome – after Caesar’s death: Vivo Caesare, rēs pūblica salva erat (“While Caesar was alive, the state was safe”)?
SO, WHO ARE we looking for in our nomatterhowsmall ‘version’ of the great Gaius Julius Caesar of ancient Rome?
YES, WHY NOT: what about the likes of some of our heroes – Gatpunos Bonifacio, Rizal, Mabini, Magsaysay, and many others?
[REFLECT, REFLECT, AH! Our ancestors were luckier – they had those heroes – and others unnamed during their time/lifetimes to take care and ‘keep safe’ the rēs pūblica or republic! But this time – well, this time].
YES, THIS TIME maybe we could still find, ‘pins-in-a haystack’ they may be, but how can we avail of their sterling and strong qualities – so they can help us, lead us and indeed: save the rēs pūblica overall, from decaying? Let’s try to focus analyses on our own local politicians, officials, [some claim:] ‘servants’ i.e. ‘just-serving’ the public unselfishly.
IN THE LAST Electoral Exercise culminating in the May 9, 2022 Elections, we did not lack ‘potentials’. Like it or not, we had many candidates – with qualities – or ‘little sparks’ notwithstanding, of semblance or dovetailing from those of the great Caesar and our own heroes – both named and unnamed. Filing of Candidacy was ‘open’ and regular – and so candidates with those ‘rare-fiber’ qualities participated. The question main now is: but did they – or some of them, win? Yes! Some/many of them won. [And up to you to check your own statistics: village council, barangay level, municipal, or provincial].
SO, IF YOU have at least one winner, or two, or a few of our in-search truly deserving ‘servants’ public, hurrah! Hallelujah! But
IF NONE OF them approaches the minimum criterion for a truly deserving servant, but they’re our winners by Electoral ‘process’, why don’t we say to them too: alleluia! Rather than perchance ‘blame but ourselves’ – for the unfortunate fiascos? The milk has been spilled; so, in-wisdom, don’t cry over it. After all, who knows(?): those elected by others (not by you) are beginning to ‘grope their way to the real realm of ‘deserving’ leadership and officialdom! In the meantime, we may say
SOME RUN FOR a position – with heart and mind: to serve the public; some do – (and they easily win, it mostly appears) in the name of ‘serving’ the public! But
WHICHEVER YOU ARE – you have a sworn duty to ‘keep safe’ the rēs pūblica, as well as the oppidum (little walled cities), and you and I and others who reside therein. Di po ba? Ayuhh2!