Two more bets for the council

Churchill Aguilar

A SIGNIFICANT number of our electorate goes for name recall. This leaves little chance for new politicians who are well deserving of the position. Such tendency leaves us with traditional politicians who always get back in their posts and gang up on a rising threat to their positions.

But come to think of it, what we really need are the newer blood to serve us in the city council–those who made marks in their own capacities and those whose passions for service are still burning. I mean we can never go wrong with new politicians knowing that the old set has practically done nothing other than block the development of the city because of the fear that someone might outshine them in creating a legacy and alter the course of history in Cagayan de Oro.

That said, I would like to endorse another two new players whom I could vouch for their characters.

Other than George Goking who I have previously endorsed, I also hope Tito Mora would win a legislative seat in District 1. You see, Tito is by far the most active in social media in expressing his take on social issues. That alone says a lot about his awareness of what really matters and his desire and commitment to make a difference.

Walking the talk, Tito and his wife have been advocates of promoting recovery programs for victims of substance abuse. Ang atong gobyerno daghan programa mudakop ug mga drug users pero wala gyud tawon ta’y ginabuhat para ma rehabilitate ang mga na adik sa droga. And this is closest to Tito’s heart.

As a businessman, Tito promotes local tourism which greatly propels local economic activities. It sounded so simple but the rise of tourism industry has a domino effect on our economy providing jobs and sustaining the livelihood of our small-scale entrepreneurs–those who sell souvenir items and delicacies as well as our transport providers.

We badly need lawmakers who are in touch of the real situations and who take the extra mile to forward their advocacies. We need a Mora in the city council.

For the same reason, Keith Paasa of the 2nd District is very much in touch with the grassroots because he is from there. We were once colleagues at Xavier University and I have personally witnessed his struggles in building a family. He would run errands for other people just to augment his income. But never had I seen him compromise his values and principles.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy he encountered was Sendong. He even lost his first child from the flood while he was rescued somewhere near Iligan the following day. He is the face of a true Cagay-anon, and he can very well be our voice in the city council.

So yeah, we badly need a change of legislators. I just hope name recalls would not work this time around.