Name Game

We wonder what will happen to Villa del Rey and Lago del Rey once Senate Bill No. 2187 gets passed as law. In fact, we also wonder what will happen to all those tarpaulins and posters bearing the names and faces of the province's governor, Naga City's mayor and vice mayor, even erstwhile Naga Mayor and present DILG Secretary, and other local officials once this bill sponsored by Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero takes effect as a law.

Undoubtedly, we welcome Senate Bill No. 2187 and laud its sponsor, Sen. "Chiz" Escudero for sponsoring a piece of legislation that seems long overdue. The proposed bill criminalizes "the naming or identification of any government project to any government officials or other persons whose identity may in any manner be associated with said government officials." It exempts, however, those [projects] as may be determined by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) in accordance with law or its duly issued guidelines or regulations.

The bill's rationale is simple: the money that funds these projects belongs to the taxpayers, and not to the government officials whose "offices are merely given the authority, privilege and right to identify, administer, implement, coordinate or propose a government project." By appending their names to these projects or having the same be identified with them, it effectively allows these government officials "to prematurely campaign for re-election all year round, while at the same time projecting a false and inflated sense of accomplishment to their constituency."

In other words, when Senate Bill No. 2187 does get passed as a law, it becomes unlawful and a crime to post tarpaulins or signs bearing the face and name of any government official and the government project they have implemented or abetted in implementing. Moreover, it becomes patently criminal to have projects named after them.

To take a particular instance, what becomes of Villa del Rey and Lago del Rey (which despite their different spelling are obviously named after Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte) when the bill is signed into law? More importantly, what happens to the governor himself? To excuse this as a case of coincidence is to vigorously strain credulity;  of all the names that can possibly be given to these facilities, why pick ones bearing the appellation of the governor whose responsible for the implementation of the projects that put up Villa del Ray and Lago del Ray?

But then again, are these recreational facilities, situated no less within the provincial capitol grounds, privately owned? If so, by whom? If so, how come?

On the other hand, if they are publicly owned by the provincial government, and hence, funded by taxpayers' money, why were they obviously named after the present governor? Sen. Escudero's bill provides an answer that is contained in the bill's explanatory note and has been quoted above:  "to prematurely campaign for re-election all year round, while at the same time projecting a false and inflated sense of accomplishment to their constituency."

We await the time when Senate Bill No. 2187 becomes a law and rightfully labels as criminals and penalizes these public officials.