02/09/2026
๐๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ | ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ
โGills are not for fishes.โ
Good governance and ethical political behavior remain essential especially when tough times call. For how many weeks now, several parts of the Philippines have been mercilessly drowning in flood water due to continuous rain. The population of those affected are unimaginable, knowing that the flooding issue could have been resolved if greed of many to buy designer clothes and bags does not distort their thought process.
According to ANC 24/7, as of August 31, infrastructure damage tolls to P6.12 billion and P2.32 billion agricultural losses, leading to 32 casualties, 19 injured, and 3 individuals missing, following the combined effects of Tropical Cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng and the southwest monsoon, locally known as habagat.
It is more than frightening that after this tragedy, a lot of Filipinos will not know when and how to start. Maybe some will be through scrubbing their mudded houses, or some will just try to pick up the washed out seeds in their farms and try to save them. However, in this gloomy situation, Filipinos are not alone. As per the Philippine News Agency, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed over 2.3 million family food packs (FFPs) to families and individuals affected by recent storms, marking this numerical value one of the largest in the department's history, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said. On a brighter view, the numbers justified the glimpse of the taxpayersโ sweat and time. It was, at least, a light in a tunnel after saving almost nothing from the catastrophe. After all, it was by the people and supposedly for the people.
Aside from these, the office runners shaking hands and waving during the success of the previous elections are starting to call their troops and are suddenly serviceable during this timeโs calamity. Like how the Manila city government provided the Thomasian community with 1,200 food packs, 30 boxes of water, and 3,000 doses of doxycycline, or the provincial government of Pampanga contributing about P926,000 worth of food packs, modular tents, and bread to residents of Lubao, Porac, Apalit, and Bacolor while local governments and barangays added over P4 million in aid, including hot meals, food packs, sleeping kits, and hygiene kits. On a daily basis, this hits stronger than a homerunโ that of Bayanihan core.
However, some kits and plastic bags have someone smiling on itโa grotasque irony plastered over the misery of those they supposedly came to help.
In the study "Campaign Practices of Political Candidates in the Barangay Elections" by Distrito R. Z. and Dormido Y. D. in 2025, it was observed that modern political campaigns often exploit legal loopholes to increase premature visibility. The Commission on Elections (ComElec) in 2022 also highlighted that, despite regulatory reforms, issues such as premature campaigning and vote buying continue to persist. This indicates that current policies have limited effectiveness as discouragement. In short, these innocent-looking people on tarpaulins swiftly come over with invisible capes while bringing rice, canned goods, warm meals, bottled water and almost every needs of the affected residents, like a knight in shining armour.
This practice, without a doubt, undermines election integrity and complicates the enforcement of campaign regulations, making the right of suffrage of the Filipinos, more predictable and easy to swerve. Certainly, people in public offices make it look like the provision of basic necessities should be a debt of gratitude, like how every meat of the canned goods they gave should mean a sure thing from the local ballots. In the same study, Carter & Fuller, and Blumer explained that Symbolic Interactionism allows an interpretive examination of how voters decode messages, symbols, and gestures embedded in campaigns, mostly attacking socioeconomically vulnerable groups (Hicken et al.), resulting for the give-relief-take-vote exchange persist easier than a blink.
These flashy trucks along with massive amounts of relief goods that act like sugar, spice and everything nice on a devastating situation for a lot of people, are surging along with the floodwater โ which hypothetically, was priorly caused by the same people who are blinded by dark personal interests that โvolunteeredโ in sending these underwhelming gifts. When in the first place, these are not their money nor projects, it was nothing but a labor they are obliged to do and acting as if it was something that the people should patronize over them is like expecting a crocodile not to bite.
For how many years, the country never entered a new year without experiencing being submerged with water. It may be due to climate change and global warming. Even so, the Philippines never experienced ease, it was always the swim of survival. With the bayanihan and power of resiliency of the Filipino people, they can definitely overcome weather challenges. Yet, inclement climate conditions topped with selfish political aspirations will always hold one leg of every Filipino trying to live.
Indeed, the value of over P84 million worth of relief assistance to Pampanga residents or the repacked 10,000 food packs for the relief operations in Pangasinan triggers a wow factor. For the sake of leniency, these political shepherds must be earnest in their acts. Clearly, helping their constituents is part of their mandate as public officials. However, a name on a go-bag nor a catchy tagline on a tarpaulin seems not to make it on the cut. This may win the hearts of many, yet the legalities intensely shakes its head.
According to the Commission on Audit (COA) Circular No. 2013-004, Sec 2.2.6, the display and affixture of the picture, image, motto, logo, color, motif, initials or other symbol or graphic representation associated with the top leadership of the project proponent or implementing agency/unit/office and of the items mentioned on equipment and facilities; vehicles of all types; wrappers, containers, and similar items (Sec 2.2.7) are considered unnecessary. As strengthened by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular No. 2026-006 Sec 5.1, โAll covered officials and employees are hereby directed to strictly comply with the prohibition on the display and/or affixture of the name, picture, image, motto, logo, color motif, initials, or other symbol or graphic representation associated with any public official on government projects and signboards.โ
Filipinos are intensely taken for granted. Massive projects and changes with big and colorful names are promised every election but the harsh consequences remain. They are acting like people are fishes on their long and shiny rods who choose to give as little as they can to keep the people coming back, turning peopleโs suffering into a very beneficial public appearance stunt to make them look useful.
Now, the question of genuinity lies on the transparency of the plastic bags, of how people can clearly see its contents without faces blocking their vision, or were these baby-soft skin faces indubitably intended to remind its electorate community of who to look for during the second monday of may of the election season? The money these politicians flaunt as theirs through basic human decency items is a big disrespect to the population of Filipino laborers, wherein, their every step, every flick, every blink, or every flinch, a cent grows a cent smaller and smaller. Every Juan deserves better, making it look like help should be owed does not make them worth remembering.
If indeed, the help was out of their own pockets and unexpected generosity, genuine help does not mean writing names and pasting faces on bags and expecting something in return. These people are monetarily compensated by the people of the republic, with hundreds of pesos as their salary. They are there to work, not to flaunt that they can afford a Prada or Burberryโsomething an ordinary citizen canโt. The purchasing power they have was made possible by the taxpayers. In doing so, abruptly wearing plain and pitiful plain shirts for audience damage control will not make it look like they are for the people.
As anticipated, it was just a limited-time offer with 100% discount, it did and did not end in one night, it was a cycle spearheaded by politicians with the people as their test subjects. When the rain stops, so will they. When the sun peaks, they will be like crabs hiding under the sand in no time. One way or another, the lives of the Filipino people will change direly. Exceptionally, when the people who are โhelpingโ are the reason why they are on the brink of death.
The names on the plastic bags will make no sense if this is the only way they will consider as aid in tragedy. If these office holders are sincerely working with integrity, they would not have grappled with billion-peso projects meant for the people only to leave them vulnerable to the very disasters those projects were supposed to prevent.
Perhaps the mermaid tale was never supposed to be true. Yet until public service stops being treated as political currency and governance begins to put people before personal interests, Filipinos will be left with nothing but one choice: to gain gills to survive.
