As the song goes, "It's that most wonderful time of the year..."
This year, with restrictions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic finally removed, Christmas parties and events are sure to come back with a vengeance.
So is the regular pre-Christmas practice of asking for “solicitations” from local and national politicians, governors to local councilors and sometimes even barangay officials.
This practice has become enmeshed in our local political scene as part and parcel of “patronage politics.”
Local politicos see Christmas as the perfect time to enhance their stature by playing the generous Santa Claus to their constituents, either through holding Christmas parties or events of their own or through generously giving gifts for those who ask for “sponsorships” to their own events.
Cash gifts are the most common form of sponsorship by local politicians, but in recent years they have come under increasing scrutiny as cash can be easily perceived as vote-buying, especially during election periods.
Nowadays, sponsorships often come through grocery items, appliances, or even food packs or allowing the use of public areas such as basketball courts for parties.
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During the three-year Covid-19 pandemic, this practice came to a virtual halt, not just because of the restrictions and quarantines imposed by the national government but also because of the downturn in the economy.
Still, during those lonely years when we didn’t even know if we could celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve with family and friend, local politicians have still found a way to become Santa Claus through the house-to-house distribution of “ayuda,” whether it be cash assistance or sacks of rice.
This year, however, OpinYon Laguna reporters have informed us that “solicitors” are back at municipal and city halls with a vengeance.
As it’s expected that local politicians will still be discriminating (read: choosy) in their selection of who they will sponsor for this year’s Christmas festivities, the rush to send solicitation letters has started as early as this month, sources have told us.
And since sponsorships can’t be guaranteed, some organizations have tended to write letters to ALL officials, from governors, representatives, down to city or municipal mayors, vice mayors and councilors.
At the satellite office of the provincial government in Calamba City, for instance, they now have to deal with solicitation letters sent from all parts of the province.
Due to the deluge, some local officials have started imposing restrictions on the solicitation letters sent to their offices.
One city councilor, sources said, have announced that all those seeking solicitations must first secure a barangay clearance before they can be entertained.
Um… paano kaya kung yung mismong barangay ang nagso-solicit ng sponsorship sa politiko?
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One can argue that this practice has been responsible, in part, for the entrenchment of the much-decried “traditional politics,” as constituents have become beholden to their local politicians for the annual gifts during the holiday season.
And since some politicians can’t afford to be over-generous on their own, the practice of sponsorships has also been charged with perpetuating a cycle of graft and corruption in local politics.
But let’s face it: most Filipinos have, unfortunately, thought of our politicians as “cash cows” whom they can run to for assistance in any kind of situation.
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