Abandoned. That was how Warays feel now over the very high cost of electricity in Leyte.
Families tighten their budgets, small businesses struggle to stay afloat, and every increase in electric bills chips away at already strained household incomes.
Yet, amid growing public frustration, the region's most influential political leaders remain conspicuously silent.
Leadership is measured not by ribbon-cuttings or speeches but by the willingness to confront difficult issues that directly affect people's lives.
On the matter of rising electricity charges, the people deserve champions—not spectators.
The Romualdez political leadership and Tingog Party-list have long projected themselves as powerful voices capable of delivering national attention and resources to Eastern Visayas.
With significant influence in Congress and the national government, they possess the political capital to demand reforms, push for investigations, and seek immediate relief for consumers.
Instead, the public has witnessed little visible urgency proportional to the burden borne by ordinary families.
The issue extends beyond fluctuating generation charges.
Consumers deserve transparency on transmission costs, system losses, regulatory decisions, and the long-promised reforms that should make electricity more affordable in a region that contributes substantially to the country's energy supply.
Silence on these questions only fuels public frustration.
No public official should be immune from scrutiny.
Those who ask for the people's trust during elections must also answer when the people's welfare is at stake.
Influence carries responsibility, and responsibility demands action.
Eastern Visayas deserves leaders who will challenge policies that unfairly burden consumers, regardless of political convenience.
The public is not asking for miracles.
They are asking for representation, for officials willing to raise difficult questions, confront powerful interests, and fight for lower electricity costs.
In times of crisis, silence is not neutrality.
It is a choice. And when those entrusted with power choose silence while the people continue to pay more every month, that silence becomes part of the problem.
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