The Eastern Samar Community Blog

As of this time elected officials of four more municipalities of Eastern Samar are undergoing the orientation being conducted by the DILG for newly elected officials.

What is the wisdom of orienting the newly elected officials regarding their duties and functions as mayors, vice-mayors and council members? We ask this question as newly elected officials also include those who have been re-elected.

Perhaps orienting the first timers is just practical. About the re-elected ones? It doesn’t seem absurd either to include them since everything changes including governance and in a span of just three short years many things happen in the political, economic and social arenas of our lives we cannot but accept the fact that there is really a need for an orientation.

It saddens progressive minds to hear elected officials themselves question the wisdom of having orientations. In this era of ours when technology embraces almost every aspect of life and changes so fast we cannot even take notice of the changes we just know something isn’t quite the same anymore, true absurdity is the failure to comprehend the need for orientation. We are not living in the Middle Ages when time seemed to have stopped and people glory in knights in shining armor and appreciated ladies in waiting. We are living in an age when a few moments ago this little child was still sucking his thumb and then a few moments or so he is already competing with us in the arena of politics, economics and social life.

Orientation is an important part of life. Before one enters into an important decision in life, or make that significant decision for the sake of the town you want to serve, or say yes to that person who wishes to take you as his wife, there are things to consider and commit one’s self into. Public service is one great responsibility which every must take into serious consideration. It is not just because one can win whatever the reason but it is because one can really commit him or her very self that public service must be considered as a profession, vocation or mission. One cannot serve fully without knowing how to.

Perhaps next elections, before candidates are allowed to file their candidacy, an orientation must be given first so that when they enter into this kind of life they already know what they are expected to do and how they ought to do it. Then let us put a big accomplishment board for us to check whether they have been faithful to their sworn duty or not.

Actually it somewhat fascinates me that there is no orientation given to people who files their candidacy about what they would be entering into. Most positions in both public and private agencies require that applicants be given the initial backgorund about what the agency or company is and what is expected of the applicants to accomplish. It is most probably only in the area of elected public service that no orientation is given before one files his or her candidacy hence when the candidates win he or she does not have an inkling of what he or she is expected to accomplish other than be of sevice to the people which is so broad some elected officials abhor being told about specifics when they are already in the position.

Perhaps it is high time that candidates to an elected position be given orientation on the positions they are aspiring for so that if they win then they would be more receptive to what are the specific things they should do in order to really “serve the public”.

This could be a good way to flush out those who run for office for other reasons whatsoever.

(Original was published in the Eastern Samar Reporter, Volume I Issue No. 15. This is a longer version.)