Self service in government service

If you are from Lipa or pass through Lipa often, I’m sure that you’ve been exposed to the face that, if you examine its omnipresence, would like you to believe that whomever it belongs to is responsible for every good thing that is happening in this city – including fiestas in even the most remote barangays, graduation ceremonies in schools, and successes of native Lipenos in various fields.

His name is Meynard Sabili, the Mayor of my birthplace Lipa.

Since I started doing business in Lipa in 2003, and permanently relocating in 2007, Lipa has had 3 mayors: Vilma Santos, Oscar Gozos and Mr Sabili.  Vilma was the queen for 9 years, Gozos only had one short and unpopular term which led to the ascension of Sabili, himself loser of so many election battles in so many positions.

But the first two can’t compare to how Sabili has made his face so ubiquitous and so annoying like a swarm of flies on festering garbage.   By plastering his face on tarpaulin billboards and streamers for every project, event or activity that concerns Lipa or its people, Mr Sabili has made his face the model of a self-serving politician that is difficult to trust.  He has even concocted a weakly worded slogan “May Aasahang Serbisyo” which is a play on the initials of his name.

People who are voted into a position, Mayor Sabili included, are placed there to do a job, and that they are expected to do well regardless if you put that responsibility in a slogan or not.

Now, if a politician has to plaster every perceived good deed for the world to see then you get to wonder if this person is ever on it to serve as he has promised, or to serve his own ego and personal interests, as many politicians have done before.

Sir, ano gang toong pakay mo?

Come on, Mr Sabili.  If you think you are doing a good job then let your track record speak for the 2013 local election, which is just around the corner.  And if you are going to enact an ordinance or mark an important occasion which will be for the good of the city then good for you, and better for the people.  But please stop inflicting your photoshopped mug shot on unwary Lipenos as if it has some magical power to lift the spirit of the downtrodden or make a special event more special.

I understand your insecurity.  This early, several personalities – again with the use of tarpaulin – are posting their faces, and their availability, for the mayoralty of Lipa City.  Oh boy, Lipenos must be so lucky to have so many people lining up to serve them.  Ruben Umali, erstwhile Mayor is now making his presence felt, so is Nerio Ronquillo, Lipa’s former City Engineer and Ralph Recto’s protégé.  Other politicians are expected to throw in their hat as well.

Today is Independence Day from a foreign occupation more than a century ago.  I wonder when we will become independent from politicians who just can’t do their job without announcing to the world that they are doing something?

Mr Sabili's administration has prohibited the use of plastic in the city for its supposed ill-effects on the environment.  After all, most plastics are non-biodegradable and are thus difficult to dispose.  But aren’t tarpaulin materials, the ones that he uses to propagate news of his deeds, non-biodegradable as well?

And isn’t paper from trees?

I’m not really aware about the safeguards that Mr Sabili and his council stipulated in their ordinance to ban the use of plastics, but I hope they’ve done their research and due diligence so that they never banned a bad substance and replaced it with another.

But in the mean time, I hope Mr Sabili and other politicians change tactics; instead of plastering their doctored faces on tarpaulins, I hope they print them on toilet paper to be distributed, for free, in traffic heavy places so that people can do something useful with their self-promotion.

Isn’t it liberating to be independent?