An Appeal to Our Political Leaders in Pampanga
An Appeal to Our Political Leaders in Pampanga
July 21, 2008
Kapampangan Marangal, Inc. (KMI)
City of San Fernando, Pampanga
To Our Honorable Political Leaders in Pampanga:
It has been a year since you took your oaths of office as public servants and political leaders of our beloved Province of Pampanga. We have all been waiting to see if your campaign promises would be translated into actual programs and services that would benefit the Kapampangan community.
Sadly, we have seen nothing but endless word wars and political bickering that have stifled the growth and development of our province and its municipalities. We have become unwitting victims, caught in the crossfire of maneuverings to gain political control and arrest the birth of responsible politics. To you we say, "Enough of finger-pointing and on with the task of making good governance happen in Pampanga!"
To the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, we clamor for ordinances and legislations that are sensitive and relevant to our expressed needs especially those of the marginalized and neglected in our society. We do not need legislations designed to outsmart and outmaneuver your fellow leaders and render them powerless in effecting much-needed reforms in the bureaucracy.
To the Governor and the Local Chief Executives, we call for the efficient and effective use of public funds made manifest in the timely delivery of social services especially to those living in far-flung areas where accessibility is limited. We do not need projects and programs designed to earn you "pogi" points and keep people in your patronage. We have entrusted the province's resources to you; hence, you are duty-bound to maximize the use of these resources for the benefit of the people, most especially the poor.
To all of you whom we voted into power, we urge you to set up mechanisms and avenues that will allow us to exercise our rights and privileges as responsible citizens of Pampanga.
In the midst of this global crisis that renders us all vulnerable, we call on you to work together with the sincere intention of making life less burdensome for us whom you have sworn to serve.
We see this dialogue as an opportunity to build bridges towards unity. We fervently hope that it does not become a tool for grandstanding or gaining media mileage to fuel any political ambitions you might have for the 2010 elections.
Pampanga is blessed with so much human, material and natural resources that, under the ministrations of well-meaning leaders, can be harnessed to bring about socio-economic progress, cultural growth and sustainable development. We appeal to you to cast aside any personal agenda, any loyalty to political patrons and party affiliations. Focus on the task of moving our province forward in the bigger context of nation-building - of contributing to the salvation of our national pride, long quashed by widespread corruption and patronage politics.
Luid ka, ikang mayap at matapat a manungkulan king kekatamung balen!