The moment to decide for millions of Filipinos has come. Although the day to cast our votes will not be until the 10th of May, or just a little over a week from today, most of us have made up our minds as to who our winning candidates should be. There must be quite a few who are still sizing up their candidates and quite unable to decide whom to vote for. One thing is sure however. When we come to the polling place next Monday, we have to blacken an egg beside one name, and one name only… unless we are in the categories for senators and councilors.

On the local level in some areas, the choices may not be so obvious and therefore difficult to make. These past few weeks, we have been harangued by various groups who take it upon themselves to educate the voting public on the criteria for choosing the right candidates. The guidelines we hear are no different from what we’ve heard in the recent past. The political climate this year is the same as in the past election years. The same garbage is in and is hell-bent to stay. We may have heard the criteria over and over again, even memorized them by heart, but they do not seem to serve the purpose for which they have been carefully thought out.
What’s happening in Paniqui? There is an incumbent Mayor who successfully transcended his young age and his apparent ineptitude by finishing his first three years with exceptional performance, despite stumbling blocks along the way. He tried to show his love for the people of Paniqui by simply being the public servant he was meant to be. Service to the people became his passion. And attending to the mundane needs of Paniquenyos became his idea of fun. In this scenario, an old timer wants to come back.

So who should it be? For most Paniquenyos, the choice is obvious.  

But for the few who are still ambivalent, try this simple way of sizing up your candidates: Listen to them talk. Pay special attention to their voices. After all things have been said and done, the sole criterion to use in deciding which one is the better choice is “integrity” with a capital “I”. Who’s got integrity? One gives away his integrity, or his lack of it, through the timbre of his voice. I’ve heard both candidates talk. Lengthily enough. And I’ve paid attention to the qualities of their voices.

Whether live, on the phone, or even on radio, I’ve heard the voice of Mayor Dors Rivilla. I’ve listened to and appreciated the sense of what he has to say. The sincerity is overwhelming. And he definitely gives away INTEGRITY. For comments / reactions, please email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it