A Reality Check on the Naga City Experience (Part 5)

A. Image is not good governance
Good governance does not end in the apparent. As citizens, it is our duty to look beyond the images. Image is created and re-created as needed. Erap’s legendary appeal to the masses remains a standard among politicians; see how they belabor trying to look reachable, lovable by the masses. Even Raul Roco wore floral polo shirts to soften the image of the disciplined intellectual that he truly was. But despite Erap’s masa appeal, did it prevent him from holding “midnight cabinets?” Did it stop him from hoarding billions of jueteng money?
When you see a picture of President Arroyo eating with her bare hands with the families in the squatters area, what does it mean? Does that mean the poor will have better living conditions? Will they have increased access to sustainable livelihood and shelter? No. It only means that she was at that place at that time. We can even say that it means she wants to appear one with the poor but will that uplift their quality of life? No.
A simple house, a taxi ride, an absence of obvious bodyguards may be traits of a simple lifestyle, but they delude the masses of what good governance really is. Image is, never was, and never will be, good governance. Even worse, image can successfully hide the fact that there is lack of basic services.
Take the case of Naga City’s drainage system. After a few hours of heavy rains, the roads are flooded. We walk through murky waters to get to our houses. Worse are our sewage systems. Where do the waste materials from the supermarket, the abattoir, the dump site go? To the Naga City River. These are concerns that require immediate attention. But we do not care because we do not see the filth. Our thoroughfares are now lined with tasteless, gaudy, kitschy lampposts. Between these lampposts and better drainage and sewage systems, we know what the people need. But of course, who gets to see the drainage and sewage systems? While the lampposts, they add color to the streets. Never mind if they actually inconvenience motorists because the two-way streets are narrow and easily congested especially during peak hours. Never mind if there is actually destruction of beauty because of the disrespect for architectural designs.
Imagine the more than a century year old façade of the Universidad de Sta. Isabel, now lined by lampposts that look like markers for barbershops.
The point is this: good governance lies in the development of our society, in the empowerment of our people. It does not depend on the images that we are bombarded with.
(to be continued)