Defying dynastic rule in Cam Sur

SABAS "Abang" Mabulo did acknowledge it himself when he formally announced his candidacy for the congressional seat of the first district of Camarines Sur last month. He was running "against all odds," he wrote, in vying for the position also being eyed by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's youngest son, Diosdado, more known as "Dato." The young Arroyo enjoys no less the backing of a formidable alliance recently forged among the political kingpins of the province — Rep. Luis Villafuerte, Rep. Felix Alfelor Jr., and Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr.

"Any decision to battle them," Mabulo added, "was like banging one’s head against a brick wall -- in short, committing a political suicide."

The Villafuerte-Alfelor-Andaya alliance already means that nine of the 10 mayors of Camarines Sur's first district are arrayed against Mabulo in his congressional bid. The outgoing mayor of the municipality of San Fernando cannot also rely on the opposition as it has virtually no network of political leaders at the municipal and district level.

Sans the blessings of Bicol's big political patrons and an extensive political machinery, the political equation is clearly not in Mabulo's favor. Still, he remains unfazed, banking on the support of allies of the nontraditional kind — nongovernment organizations, people's organizations, the academe, Church-based organizations (not just Catholics), and business groups.

Mabulo is also motivated by what he views of Dato's candidacy, which he claims is "pagmamaliit sa Bicolano" (a low regard for Bicolanos). "How can a non-Bicolano truly represent the interests of Bicolanos?" he asks.

It's the same question asked by not a few residents of the province's first district who see Dato's intention to run for congressman in their district as serving more the interests of his family than the constituents of Camarines Sur. The Arroyos, after all hail from Pampanga, with Dato only establishing residence in Naga City in 2004 and building his own house in Barangay Potot, Libmanan in 2005.

And while the political kingpins may think of Dato as the "hope" of the district because his being the president's son will ensure the unimpeded flow of resources to his constituency, Mabulo believes Bicolanos don't think only in those terms. And by entrusting him with the role of representing them in Congress, Mabulo is both elated and humbled, raring to face the challenge of proving that having the advantage of a political machinery does not always assure victory in elections.

Since he made public his decision to run for Congress, Mabulo says he is heartened by the outpouring of support from people to help in his campaign ranging from volunteers to donors spending for his campaign materials.

Mabulo is likewise confident that his qualifications as a public official would bear him out, having served for three consecutive terms as mayor, and previously as a municipal kagawad (councilor) for three years.

Many in Camarines Sur, in fact, look up to Mabulo as a local chief executive in the mold of Naga City's Jesse Robredo as he has also championed a participatory approach to local governance — an achievement though not as celebrated as Robredo's in the media. Mabulo's administration has institutionalized people participation by making it a policy to involve citizens in the planning and implementation of the municipal government's programs and projects.

This has been demonstrated in projects like the People's Road, which has extended San Fernando's road network by 50 kilometers in all the barangays through the help of citizens. With meager local government resources, the labor of residents was tapped — for free — to gather stones and pound them to gravel for use in the road construction.

Under Mabulo's watch, San Fernando has also been able to set up a potable water system that is now servicing seven barangays. Remarkably, the local government relied only on its own resources and did not have to secure loans to fund the P40-million water project.

Mabulo's term has also done much to provide livelihood to San Fernando residents. His administration's focus is on agricultural productivity for which the local government unit has purchased farm equipment that are made available to farmers and distributed seedlings for high-value crops (citrus fruits, coffee, cacao, pepper and pili nuts) and fast-growing crops (root crops, mongo, peanuts, mushroom, and yellow corn).

Mabulo says these programs have given the people of San Fernando hope, allowing them to believe that things can be done if the government and the people work hand in hand.

If elected congressman, Mabulo has made known his legislative agenda focused on the following:

Poverty alleviation through enterprise development

Mabulo says people should not be made dependent on dole-outs and that the government should instead create an enabling environment for them to become self-reliant. An economist by profession, he is batting for the development of indigenous enterprise by providing people with infrastructure and greater access to capital.

Education

Mabulo believes that vocational and technical schools should be given national priority and proposes that laws be enacted to promote partnership between these schools and industries to gear education towards employability.

Agriculture development

Given the slow pace of agrarian reform, Mabulo proposes greater institutional support for vulnerable sectors in agriculture, particularly farmer-tenants. He also advocates for policies that support sustainable agriculture.

Health and nutrition

Mabulo will push for legislation providing greater access to health services and medicines, allow importation of cheaper medicines from other countries, and provide greater incentives for health care professionals to stay in their localities.

On top of his legislative agenda, Mabulo is committed to support moves to impeach Arroyo, saying that the country is moving towards a "dangerous scenario" in terms of public accountability that needs to be checked.

He is also for abolishing the pork barrel, whose allocations, he believes, have generally not reflected the needs of the people but the whims of those in power. "While (it) is a mechanism for the equitable distribution of public funds, in practice it's been used more for corruption and to ensure that officials stay in power," he says.

Acknowledging the need for political and electoral reforms, Mabulo says he supports moves to have the 1987 Constitution amended but only via the mode of a constitutional convention. The Senate, he adds, remains important as an institution in providing check and balance to the Executive, which has displayed dictatorial tendencies under Arroyo.