A friend from Naga City voices out her sentiments for the Comelec ruling of disqualifying incumbent mayor, Jesse Robredo, from running for another term. I hope her letter won’t fall to deaf ears, as it is the usual case. May someone, with his conscience intact, help a progressing city from moving backwards.

Subject: sentiments from Naga
To: chairman@comelec.gov.ph

Dear Chairman,

I am one of the constituents of Naga city who has been very disappointed and bothered by the recent ruling of Comelec to disqualify Mayor Jesse Robredo in his bid for the Mayoral seat here in our city.

I am thirty years old, and I have lived here all my life in this city which I love dearly. I have been to other cities and I can say that i haven’t seen another city to compare with us in terms of its rapid growth and development under the very able leadership of our Mayor — who has been with us for almost two decades.

…we all know the feud between the two political camps here in Naga — between the villafuerte and the robredo camp..and I would say it is clearly one sided, since most of the time, robredo doesn’t reiterate. He just lets the comments pass or answers them matter of factly but he never tries to malign the other party.

We, the Naguenos, who has known the villafuerte’s politicking for several decades, has taken its stand a long time ago. We decided not to let the villafuertes stain our city with their traditional politics, corruption, pompousness and sheer uselessness (such as builing overpass which are completely unusable in the middle of a narrow street) by voting for Robredo or another leader who is clearly in opposition of them.

For several years, we were in complete sync with our local city leaders, cooperating with them in all their programs — the color coding, the anti-jueteng movement, the participative governance, the PESO livelihood projects, the SEED projects…i could go on and on… because we know our leaders here have finally given credibility to the word “leader”…they lead by serving us. And we have shown our confidence in them by voting for them again and again, without fail, in a constant landslide victory in all the polls ever witnessed by the city since 1988.

We have seen how Robredo and his team has brought back Naga to its feet in record time after the Reming typhoon, bringing back electricity faster than we thought, fixing everything..and they’re not just lounging in their air conditioned offices the whole time — they were on the streets, sweeping, cleaning, comforting people, assuring them… what more could we ask? they were doing more than what was required…and this has inspired us to help them and be completely cooperative in all their local government policies.

…and now this. After almost two decades of serving us, Robredo is disqualified as Mayor because of a minor issue called citizenship?? what is citizenship anyway? is that the only criteria for becoming a good civil servant? If it is, then is it better to have “filipino” leaders who are morally corrupt and totally inept to lead Naga just because of their birthright?

After having overturned the decision several times, the COMELEC is now and suddenly turning its back on their initial decision of disregarding the “citizenship issue”…just because some people up high have a very strong influence on those people who has the power to decide?

Mr. Chairman, I am not the only one who feels hurt and outraged right now. In fact, I am merely a single voice echoing the thousands of others who feels exactly the same way —the thousands of people who, time and time again has trooped to the precincts to vote for a candidate whom we know has integrity and the capacity to make our city one of the best here in the country.

…and just because of politicking, one good man is shot down, and worst — you as baston of democracy is allowing this. I refuse to think what will happen to Naga if indeed villafuerte’s scheming succeed. It’s like a bad telenovela with the villains winning…pathetic, laughable, and yet… so tragic. I further refuse to think on what will happen to this country if this will become the trend. …no wonder so many of our countrymen is leaving this country, because they have lost hope that not one good leader is left.

….but there are still people left who can lead us …with integrity and with honest, heartfelt service…So I plead, in behalf of all the Naguenos, that you reconsider your decision to disqualify Robredo… and perhaps, see beyond the political machinations of those people who have long been wanting to oust robredo from Naga. A person who is courageous enough to stand firm in his convictions is one worthy to lead… and I hope you are like that too…

…I have never voted for villafuerte, GMA or their cohorts, because I have always believed that there is always a better alternative…I have believe that one day, there will be a sincere leader just waiting to take on the reins, and when he does, this country will be set on its path to true national development. I think our Mayor is one of those people who can truly lead our city, and even our country out of the quagmire that we have immersed ourselves into… and mind you, I have not been paid to write this. I am doing this because I have not lost hope that all will be well…eventually.

During the elections, I will put one name on the slot for “Mayor”… it will be Robredo, and I wouldnt care if it is his wife or him who becomes our Mayor…. the name “robredo” will stand for the Nagueno’s hope for our city… and our firm resolve that we will not…absolutely not…give up our city to Villafuerte and his machinations. Never again.