By Mortz C. Ortigoza
A first class town mayor spent six million pesos to well wishers and solicitors who go to his house last Yuletide season.
“I did not hide from my constituents who want some Christmas’ dole outs. I stayed in my house thus I spent six million pesos last December alone,” the successful contractor and mayor, who asked for anonymity, in central Pangasinan told this writer in Tagalog.
He said his vice mayor who is running for the May 13, 2019 election has been absconding his constituents who seek financial aid even before and after the Christmas season.
“Ano lang naman ang pera niya hindi stable iyong pagiging contractor niya sa ibang tao,” the seasoned politician cited.
The mayor said that his post is a thankless job because he spent hundred of millions of pesos for his personal saving to help the town’s folks since he joined politics two decades ago.
“When I was a vice mayor I even built dikes and roads in some barangays for free. I did those jobs because I don't want to be ridiculed by critics that I was a do- nothing vice mayor,” he cited in the vernacular.
When he challenged the then incumbent mayor in the late 1990s, the latter did not seek his reelection because he was afraid to spend to a futile contest his personal savings.
“Maliit lang ang suweldo namin noon. Ang mayor P15,000 a month ako sa vice mayor P13,000. Ang konsehal P8,000”.
He said a mayor nowadays received more than a hundred thousand pesos a month while a vice mayor got almost ninety thousand while a councilor received from the government almost eighty thousand pesos a month.
“But they are a pittance. When my opponent beat me in his first try for the mayoralty I saw to it he could not beat me in our rematch in the following mayoral poll. He even got the support of the 3,000 voters of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) in my town. Because of it I frantically spent P21 million for P500 for each of the voters three days before the casting of votes,” he told the writer in Tagalog.
He won that election roughly with 1,200 votes in a town with more or less 40, 000 registered voters.
He said a politician nowadays who wants to win need a lot of wherewithal to effectively maintain the loyalty of his leaders, supporters, and the voters.
He said a politician nowadays who wants to win need a lot of wherewithal to effectively maintain the loyalty of his leaders, supporters, and the voters.
“Most voters now vote for money they don’t think about the accomplishment and qualification of the candidate,” he cited.
He said his thriving business as major factor in winning every election races in his town.
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