Cong. No Longer as Clean as a Whistle

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

A Mayor who lost several times for being a vice mayor and a mayor told me that his present position is a financial liability than an asset.

He explained that when he aspired for the two highest posts in his town – winning some and losing some attempts – he spent a total of P200 million.

“The good thing is I have a personal lucrative business that funds my venture into politics,” he told me.

What the Hizzoner revealed to me is the reality in elective public office. If many elected officials amassed wealth because of the cut or S.O.P from contractors and suppliers to his or her office, other politicians became poor because they have to sell their properties to launch their campaign where they ingratiate to voters by giving them monies and goods.

The most moneyed in the ingratiation game usually win the election because the voters are no longer intelligent but susceptible to the glitters of silver (that ran, son of a gun, to P10,000 per head based on a small town in Pangasinan last election)

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A Mayor who lost to a moneyed candidate but reclaimed it with a vengeance told me her expenses.

Noong una akong tumakbo kalaban ang last term na Mayor I spent P50 million. Noong nakalaban ko ang Vice Mayor ng mayor na tumalo sa akin, gumastos lang ako ng P12 million (the Veem is known as tightwad or maawet in Pangasinan). When she ran against her vice mayor who had no huge financial chest to sustain the expensive months long campaign season, she only chalked up P7 million. In her final campaign because that would be her third and last term she spent P14 million only. Because of over confidence that voters would be considerate in her last venture in that third term, she lost to a rival. As the very rich rival became unpopular among many electorates in that three years’ term, the former Herzzoner -known to be kind to her constituents - made a come-back and a vengeance with P40 million financial kitty and gobbled the incumbent Mayor in the last year’s election. 

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 A contractor on government projects told me that a Congressman known for being incorruptible is now accepting cut from contractors and suppliers who engage business in his district.

“Why he is now accepting these S.O.Ps (euphemism for cut)?” I posed.

The contractor told me he needs them because he spent hundreds of millions of pesos in the last election.

“Besides he is no longer as rich as before when he was seen as a clean as a whistle public servant,” the contractor who asked in conditioned of anonymity told me.

Is this true, Cong?

(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)