Trapo: Local Officials Acting as Fief Lords

Here is another example of traditional politics run amok.

Just because the said senator belongs to the opposition within the Philippine Senate, it does not mean he is not to be welcomed in the native province of the Chief Executive. After all, they both claim belonging to the province.

It is also the impertinence of any local official to unwelcome the said senator by pressuring school principals just because Her excellency has graced the said town as her own.

It is not known whether such town was graced with magnanimous amount of pork barrel spending from you-know-who; but the action of the mayor, if it is true, seems to convey the same nonetheless.

To be a statesmen and to be a politician are indeed two different concept of public persons. One strives to do his best for God, people, and country and will strive for the truth regardless of any high wall to scale while the other cower to their political masters and please them by acting in a manner contrary to common sense and decency.

If it were true that such mayor affected the decision of school officials to invite the said senator for a commencement address, perhaps the senator ought to consider reevaluating the pertinent Local Government Code of the Philippines, which designates local officials as ex officio members of the local school board, that is, to curtail the power of local elected officials to influence local school officials in this regard.

Such audacity ought to teach local elected officials acting as powerful local barons to mind the limits of their own capacity to influence the decision of local school officials.

It would do the local elected official well to be reminded that the Philippines is a unitary republic. Hence, all local powers emanate from the central government. To abuse such delegated powers reminds me of and reverberates memories of the past where local incumbents where indeed local warlords of their own fiefs, with their own private armies.

All must discourage those who want to go back to that time and hold accountable elected officials who tend to abuse their powers.