What to do in a month

P

ART of what election winners have to do in the month leading to their assumption of office is to undergo training by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The DILG’S Local Government Academy will hold the training program for the 81 governors, 81 vice governors, 780 Provincial Board members, 145 city mayors, 145 city vice mayors,

1,628 city councilors, 1,489 town mayors, 1,489 town vice mayors and 11,916 municipal councilors who were elected in the midterm exercise on May 13, 2019. Whether reelected or new to the post, winners have to take the program.

The program has four components, namely, ensuring smooth transition, laying the foundation, building alliances and sharpening the saw.

Smooth transition is for the turnover of power from the outgoing to the incoming; the foundation is about knowing the work of a local government unit, ways to tackle responsibilities, and steps to take in the first 100 days in office.

Building alliances is on coming up with a roadmap for development through collaboration and cooperation with other local government units, and sharpening the saw means ensuring continuous improvement or development.

Reports said that part of the capacity-building training will be on how to ensure the agenda of local officials are aligned with President Rodrigo Duterte’s programs, to include the fight against illegal drugs and corruption and the push for federalism.

The training for election winners is good because it will remind both old and new officials of the principles behind their assignment as public servants and the foundations on which our country is built.

But the capacity-building should not be limited only to those that the President wants to pursue. While it is expected that the DILG will work to ensure support for the President’s programs, those elected have to be reminded that they would have to answer to their bosses, those who pay their salaries-–the people.

Aside from the DILG training, these newlyelected officials can use the one month they have left before assuming the post to come up with their own performance indicators.

They can begin with their campaign promises, do a table of them and the expected output. For example, the mayor can outline what he or she promises to attain in five or 10 service areas such as garbage collection, traffic management, new road system, maintenance of existing roads, beautification, parks and recreation, business incentives, public safety and many more.

Finalize this list of performance measurements and announce it upon assumption of post by noon of June 30.

This then can be a tool the community can refer to every quarter or every year to see if what were promised at the start of the term can be realized by its end. The annual addresses to the city or province would have this document as the basis for showing action taken towards a goal.* V

IBER groups can really be interesting, especially during the election season. With participants treading the thin line between advancing political views and breaking friendships, the discussions show many impassioned viewpoints with one or two who really have valid points.

Take this for example: a participant passed on a rant about alleged corruption and mismanagement in the three-year old Duterte administration. “We need change to more responsible leadership and vote Otso Deretso!” the forwarded note campaigned.

It was soon followed by a short and simple reply from another participant: “But they’ve already had two chances to do that!”

He may have been referring to the two Aquino administrations (Cory and Noynoy) that were peppered with the very same allegations of corruption and mismanagement. The guy had a valid point.

I was terribly disappointed, when post-election, another participant forwarded a call for boycotting companies who they perceived to be Duterte backers. mean, really? We’re talking some sort of economic sabotage now? What’s going to happen to the thousands who will lose their jobs as they boycott these companies?

With the May midterm election over and done with, it is time to let the chips fall where they may.

This Americanism which means “to accept results without prejudice, worry, or regret” comes from the world of logging. In the process of cutting a tree, wood chips generally fly around and loggers neither worry nor regret where the chips may fall. I presume they have the bigger and more valuable log to focus upon.

Pursuing this metaphor, the political chips have fallen. Our new officials have been elected.

As citizens, including those who lost in the May elections, we need to focus on the bigger and more valuable: including finding and applying measures to combat poverty, unemployment, traffic congestion, flooding, violence against women, child exploitation and prostitution, and so forth, and so on. Forget side taking, political bickering and talk of boycotting!

In our forest, there are as many logs as issues our leadership need to tackle. It is time for us to unite and take a more pro-active stance and assist our local leaders achieve our shared hopes and aspiration.* I