Sometimes I have the tendency to immerse myself in the occasions and happenings around me, running my mind as to the limitless possibilities of any given situation. Like the last barangay elections, I was riding my Rusi motorcycle around my home province appreciating the widened national roads and even the two-lane barangay roads while sightseeing around the green surroundings.
Sadly, while the barangay roads are concrete, the grasses were left encroaching the right of way and in some areas have uncontrollably reached the center part of each lane posing danger and risks to motorists passing through. I was wondering who should take care of the barangay road clearing including its regular clean-up. Plastic wraps are everywhere as if it’s waiting for somebody special to clean it.
Why can’t the barangay leadership afford to implement a regular and routine road clean-up? More than that, why hasn’t no one ever thought of planting papaya and malunggay or any crawling vegetables along the road so that those who don’t have the means to buy them could simply walk around and pick some? Of course, taking care of it could be an issue. But clustering the residents, including all tanods, BHWs, Sangguniang Kabataan officers and barangay service point workers is not rocket science at all if the purpose is to ensure that these vegetables are taken cared-off T least thrice a week.
I have also observed that barangay offices are in a state of decay. During the campaign we can see slogans “Masaligan sang tanan kag sensiro sa pagserbisyo”. Yet look at how these assholes treated the government offices entrusted to them. All they did was to wait for the mayor or the governor to extend them financial assistance in order to facilitate the repair and maintenance. Garbage is everywhere. They have garbage bins and even posters about waste management yet they can afford to go to their offices everyday and just look at the garbage scattered around.
It would have been easier for the local chief executives to manage their towns if their elected barangay counterparts knew their responsibilities well aside of course from ensuring their victories during local elections. Unfortunately, the majority of these barangay leaders only knew how to show off their political clout and leadership skills are only confined to celebrating the fiesta of their barangay. Perhaps it’s even true that they cannot even identify the three branches of the government.
These are just some of my random thoughts while lazily riding my poor man’s motorcycle but then look around you. These are sad realities haunting us every day. I just wish that someday the electorate becomes empowered and literate and that they will choose the local leaders intelligently.
