On governance

I was just out of college when I had my first taste of public office. 

It was 15 years ago, on May 5, 1996, when I was elected President of the Sangguniang Kabataan Municipal Federation of my town in Alicia, Isabela.  

Having been a student leader at the University of Santo Tomas, I had developed the passion to do leadership and community work. 

But it came as a surprise how much leadership is demanded from me in the “real world”—the world where “my constituents” expect so much from me. 

The same thing happened when I went up the ladder after having been elected as councilor for two terms, as Board Member of the Province of Isabela for one term, and now, as Mayor for the first time of my beloved town, Alicia.  

Governance in the Philippines is such a challenging task. The call of duty is 24/7. From petty subjects to national or even global issues that may affect my municipality, all that are my concerns as a local chief executive. 

Governance is also a balancing act, trying to satisfy those who vote for you but at the same time ensuring that you will get elected the second time around. You have to perform well and do everything to make people remember what you did. 

I must be honest, however. I may not want to flash my face all over my tarpaulins, but Filipinos relatively have a short memory span. Sometimes, performance and good governance can easily be forgotten if money is flashed in the faces of the voters. That is the sad fact of politics nowadays.  

This is why I am trying to sell myself like a product: packaging and advertising myself like a brand that provides solution to the problems of my town, extending service when needed and delivering it promptly, effectively and efficiently. Doing so gives the voters the chance to compare my term against the previous leadership. 

I hope with all my heart that my administration will open doors for better leaders for my hometown, for the people to choose not based on how much they get paid per vote but by the programs the leaders accomplish. That would provide an equal opportunity for every candidate: run for office because of your love for Alicia not because of the power and authority you will derive if you win. 

Governance is truly a balancing act. It is building a better future for the community, but the community itself should yearn to be better by choosing the right leaders. It is true that the kind of community/country we have is based on the kind of leaders we vote for. A community should not settle for less. It should be empowered and use its right to choose wisely.

I am truly proud of Alicia, my hometown. The people were given the right and power to choose their leaders during the last elections and they chose based on the information given to them. They decided after researching on the background of the candidates and the programs and platforms presented. 

I hope and pray that this right and power of the people of Alicia will always be cherished by them. I believe that Alicia is empowered and its people are now free to choose the leaders they want. Teaching and showing them how to scrutinize and know what to look for in their leaders is something I can truly say is a major accomplishment for me.

Still I could not help but wonder if I am doing things right. As the local chief executive, I exercise political will to make a difference. At the same time, I want to ensure getting reelected for the sake of continuing the programs launched for the good of the people.

Every day I pray to God that I be given strength and wisdom to overcome all challenges, and that I should not forget that I am only in office because I represent the people. It is the people who should be empowered and I am only working for them. 

This for me is how I see governance in the local government unit of Alicia. It’s a mixture of excitement, trial and error but more of self-fulfillment in the programs that we have accomplished. 

It is still a continuing learning process, for me as a leader and for the people of Alicia. They are still learning to weigh things. In the end, may they be the judge of what they want for their future. 

Cecilia Claire “Jeng”  Reyes is the youngest and first woman to be elected mayor of Alicia, Isabela. She is also the past president of the National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL). She is an Asia 21 Fellow of the Asia 21 Young Leaders Program of the Asia Society. For more information, contact Asia Society at (632) 752-4374 or info@asiasociety.org.ph.