Hot Paracelis and the eastern ‘kailyan’ vote

HAPPY WEEKEND

BY Gina Dizon

Whether congressional aspirant  Engr Roy Manao  Manao shall  gain formidable votes from his townmates  in Natonin and  Paracelis was a question posed before the conduct of the elections much as  he grew up in Bontoc and most of the time  worked in Baguio and  Manila and presence not  so visible in a hometown where he traces his roots.

Results of the recent elections say a trend to send an eastern leader in the near future for a top post in the provincial local government unit is on the way.  Manao won 7,772 votes over congressional aspirants Engr Jupiter Dominguez 3,431 votes and congressman-elect Atty Maximo Dalog’s 5,135 points in the eastern towns of Natonin and vote-rich Paracelis.

Local leader Valentin Tawaran from Paracelis said the call of the people from the eastern towns during the recent elections was to send a ‘kailyan’  to sit in the  top post  in the provincial government.

Through the  years,  the governor  and  the  congressional position has been  occupied by  leaders from Bontoc and the western  towns of the province to name  congressman- elect Maximo Dalog from  Bauko who  occupied the  governorship  2004-2010. Governor -elect Leonard Mayaen who traces his roots from Besao and grew up in Bauko has also been the governor in 1997-2001 followed by Bauko native former governor Sario Malinias from 2001 to 2004.  Former governor Jaime Gomez from Bontoc occupied the gubernatorial  position in the ‘80s earlier occupied by former governor Alfredo Lamen from Sagada.

The congressional position likewise had been occupied for 21 years by the late former congressman Victor Dominguez from Sabangan  located in the western sphere of the province.  He was preceded by Dalog who won the recent May 2013 elections over comebacking congressional aspirant Jupiter Dominguez from Sabangan and  Roy Manao.

The highest seat the eastern votes could muster for a ‘kailyan’ is the vice gubernatorial post then occupied by Alejo Manao, Roy Manao’s father.

Tawaran is envious about leaders from the western sphere of the province who have strong unities in sending  a ‘kailyan’ to top provincial posts in government. He said the eastern towns could also do a similar feat with the unity of the people from Natonin, Paracelis and Barlig.

Paracelis is inhabited by Balangao, Baliwon and Gaddang tribes  and  migrant Ilocanos. Natonin and Barlig are dominantly inhabited by Balangao and other sub tribes. The unity of these tribes is yet to be manifested with Barlig not  favouring  Manao in the recent elections. Of course, the basic formula is to have the unity of the tribes with migrant Ilocanos to have an eastern vote.     

Though with the recent election results,  the people in vote rich-Paracelis and nearby Natonin are resolved to send a leader in Congress or any top political post in the provincial government. Unless, there is another influencing factor  aside from a kailyan syndrome.

Paracelis has a voting population of 16 thousand plus Natonin’s 7 thousand plus voters and Barlig’s four thousand plus composing 25% of the total eastern voting population. With a resolve to get more votes, the most that eastern  votes increase is for the people of  the eastern front to woo votes from nearby  vote- rich  Bontoc with an equally strong voting population of  16 thousand plus and pick additional  votes from  western  towns of the province known to have  strong unities in sending a ‘kailyan’ to political posts.

Paracelis  is perceived to be ‘bought’ with money by vote buying politicians to ensure their victories in mixed Paracelis with  mixed tribes of  Balangao, Gaddang, Baliwon,and  Ilocano migrants having mixed thought and cultural patterns. Paracelis has been known to be the deciding factor in political contests and in the recent years has demonstrated it so with election results coming in last and tilting results from other towns of the province.  Paracelis has also been known to have exhibited ballot snatching among other nasty and disgusting practises such as PICOS burning and elections results  favouring another. 

With an eastern vote for an eastern leader, Paracelis as a deciding factor comes next election period  may not be the case anymore.

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Wanted to know the difference from hot and angry Paracelis in the May 2010 elections and so went to have a feel of Paracelis in the 2013 elections. The air is cool and evening met with a rainy temperament.

The people are likewise cool and I like it.  Even the municipal board of canvassers are friendly and smiling.  No one was shouting and angry among the candidates as I literally heard during the May 2010 elections.

Must be that the people here  don’t want  Paracelis known as a hot election spot marked by PICOS machine burning  at  Apalis, Bunot  and apprehension of seven men on board three vehicles with six  firearms  complete with live rounds of ammunition in the 2010 elections.

Must be that the people in Paracelis are peaceful and don’t want any violence happening in their hometown.

Nevertheless, I found military men positioned in the premises of the Municipal grounds.  Must be that other Army men are positioned somewhere else.  With an experience such as 2010 elections, anything may happen and you might as well be armed and ready!

Must be that the air is cool because their  kailyan Roy Manao won in their  territory.

Paracelis municipal election officer Maritess Yongoyong from Ifugao said she found a completely different   situation from the portrayal of hot Paracelis.  The people are cooperative and friendly, she said.

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Again, vote buying. And so  word goes that this  exciting practise among politicians to ensure their winning victories over other politician-candidates was again manifested in different parts of the province, some discretely and some openly in broad daylight. Our province is no different from other provinces of  this corrupt country in vote buying. While I would like to receive money from a vote buying politico, this enticing money has never landed on my hands throughout my adult years.  Must be that politicos have already identified whom they shall give haha!

Word is rife from the eastern towns to the western front that money for votes in P500 bills flooded the electorate and distributed like pansit. And so with other households who reportedly received more in thousands.  This cash gift is freely given so why not receive?!?

As a recent survey by the Montanosa Press Club notes, half of the respondents say they receive the money  sent from vote buying politicians inserted in envelopes  but don’t vote for the one who gives the  money.  Fine. Why not.  Even me would receive money given by a vote buying politician wherever the money comes from, whether from a P100million road project kickback, personal loans, and donation from a rich migrant worker or gambling lord or from anywhere. Who cares!?!

Half of the respondents said maybe they will vote for the vote buying politico. Where this gray area was manifested in the recent elections maybe that the money they received influenced them or not. Maybe that it depends whether the money came from a candidate they love and so voted for him or not if not.

Otherwise, thoughts are bound to change influenced by other  factors and so the survey perceptions must have changed.  Maybe yes or maybe not.   Maybe that the feel for a winning candidate changed their preferences and voted otherwise made stronger by money landing on their hands.

Among politicians, it must be that money is a strong influence to woo votes and so the resolve to give out money to the electorate to ensure victory especially in areas where the voting population is  perceived to be ‘bought’, and  to gray areas where the voting public maybe swayed or not with money money money!

Comes now the next round of political term and its payback time! What else is there to say? This corrupt and  poor country  reeled with vote buying in all parts of the nation  in the recent elections and previous elections. And so with corruption. It’s a vicious cycle and man, it’s another circus.