The nine presidential candidates pose for posterity at the first of three debates of the Comelec’s “PiliPinas Debates 2022” on March 2022 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel. (Not in photo Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.) | Photo by Avite Delan/PNA
Part II of “Sorsogon 2025-2046” Series
“Patal Attraction” is not a sequel to the 1987 movie hit “Fatal Attraction.” Remember the film starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer?
“Patal” is a Sorsoganon word for “dumb.” Or at least “not street smart.” According to some Sorsoganons, the phrase means the attraction of Filipino politicians to enact dumb policies and dumber decision-making processes. However, many of their constituents — marginalized as they are — seldom protest and still vote for them. Why? Because folks say that a sufficient number of “patal voters” elect “patal politicos” — on a mutual-attraction basis. Then, after the election, the winners start to earn back the hundreds of millions of pesos used to buy votes. How? By building prestige projects that are really white-elephant infrastructures. Like constructing a sports stadium to host national games. And after the event is held, it is idle. It does not generate jobs with decent and livable wages. More often than not, politicians also own construction companies that win contracts to build infrastructure.
Dumb voters get attracted — because of poverty — to sell their votes on election day for a thousand pesos or more per ballot to the highest bidder. The voters do not realize that the pesos used to buy their voters come from the public treasury that the “patal politicos” have pocketed. And their deep pockets are increased by illegal campaign contributions from vested interests.
On March 12, 2023, this column said: QUOTE. The majority of the people of Sorsogon are poor. On the other hand, the majority of the province’s public, private, and religious leaders are rich. This journalist has written the Top Ten Reasons why Filipinos, especially Sorsoganons, are poor. It seems, as a Sorsoganon proverb goes, “Mas mayad pa an buta kaysa sa mga nag-bubu-butahan lang” (the blind is better off than people that pretend to be blind). It might also be the perfect corollary of another adage, the blind leading also the blind — even if the former does not need eyeglasses to see.
A journalist can only write about poverty and the means for the majority to be economically empowered. But writers cannot force the powerful, the rich, and the influential to read what storytellers have written, even if the said people have a 20/20 vision. UNQUOTE.
Sorsogon is still the 19th poorest province in the Philippines. This columnist discussed the steps needed to make Sorsogon become one of the richest provinces in 21 years or less (in due time), as narrated in this March 12, 2023, article “Sorsogon Can Start the Little Taiwan Idea by Completing the Bulan Airport”:
Many fellow Sorsoganons encouraged this journalist to run again for governor in the 2019 election. But his political advisers said he had to have at least the equivalent of three-million U.S. dollars to match the vote-buying strategy of the main opponent. Or else he would lose again. It was a no-brainer issue, as vote buying is supposed to be illegal in elections in any country in the world. Besides, how can a reformer buy votes? So, this reformer went back to his first love, journalism, and continue his work as an Overseas-Filipino writer (OFW).
“There is a solution to end vote-buying practices — as initially proposed by this columnist and improved by his friends and advisers. Let “reVOTElutionary” candidates invest their campaign funds in cooperatives in all the barrios (barangays) of Sorsogon and other provinces.”
This Sorsoganon columnist penned in 14 years so many Facebook Notes and op-ed articles about how to undertake socioeconomic reforms for the province. And to launch a “ReVOTElution of H.O.P.E.” as described last Wednesday (in Part I). There is also a Facebook Group by that name as this link, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1512118102419823
There is a solution to end vote-buying practices — as initially proposed by this columnist and improved by his friends and advisers. Let “reVOTElutionary” candidates invest their campaign funds in cooperatives in all the barrios (barangays) of Sorsogon and other provinces. All willing voters can be persuaded to buy shares in their barrio co-op (that will be organized if it does not have one). If there is a school in a barrio, the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) may be converted into another co-op. (And even have adult-education classes as Numeriano Bouffard and this writer propose, especially in teaching English, Spanish and other needed livelihood subjects.)
If there is a church or a place of worship in a barrio, all the congregation members can form a co-op. The tricycle and jeepney drivers can form another co-op. Barrio eateries and stores can form another co-op. Then all the co-ops in a town can form an association to save in buying supplies, transporting local products to markets, doing external/internal audits, legal work, co-op periodic training, etc. Then all the provincial town and city associations of co-ops can form a federation.
Then the co-ops’ federation can put up a credit union to put an end to usurious borrowing practices such as the “5/6” lending to market vendors and small-store owners. It means business persons borrow five pesos (or hundred) today and pay back six pesos or hundred tomorrow. The interest is 20% per day.
This journalist presented to a parish council in 2016 a proposal called Turning Bacon Into THE “Parish of the Future” from 2017 to 2042. Readers may put their thinking caps on and digest the various socioeconomic proposals advanced in it at this link: https://www.facebook.com/notes/800300814069462/ But the Bacon Parish Council and the clergy voted it down.
As the adage says, “It is easier said than done.” But voters and their elected leaders can generate the right-and-honest political will make the ideas operational. Otherwise, “patalism” will reign forever. And Sorsogon and the other 80 provinces in the country will continue to be poor and marginalized. People have to end the status of the Philippines as the “patalism capital of the world.” Right on!
