By BEHN FER HORTALEZA, JR.

‘SHOW your evidence,” our good friend and media colleague Remarque Ravanzo, city elections officer of Dagupan asked the many complainants to alleged vote-buying in the Oct. 29 barangay elections.

It seems everyone had a tale to tell about how money and goods flowed freely during the period especially night before the polls, and yet none had the good sense to document or gather living witnesses to the election law violations – or so, Remarque’s remark obliquely implied.

It’s the national elections all over again, this time though on a smaller scale, but the modus operandi remains the same. Bags or cartoons of goodies being distributed around houses, campaign leaflets with paper bills for a “sandwich spread” being thrust in the hands of a possible supporter and voters wined and dined and whatever else to make them remember the “benevolent” candidate on E-Day. And, as always, the elections office yawns with its stock line: Prove it, guys! It’s a safe guess we will be hearing the same complaints and the same stock answer from the Comelec in 2010 and onwards.

Small wonder, the conservative wisdom among candidates has increasingly become “If you can’t lick ‘em, join ‘em!’

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Tomorrow, Monday, when Congress resumes its session, the fate of Speaker Joe de Venecia as top dog in that chamber hangs. Many believe he could still pull it off, that is, retain his Speakership despite moves of his rivals to unseat him in the wake of son Joey III’s moves against President Arroyo and First Gent Mike over the NBN-ZTE deal. It all depends on how Ronnie Puno, the master political strategist, could marshal or not marshal enough allies from the ruling coalition to kick JDV out; one can almost be sure the Arroyos won’t move to restrain Puno but neither would they openly encourage him on whatever step he takes against the Pangasinan Pride..
Over here in Pangasinan, the graver implications of our kabaleyan Joe’s departure from the House top post is so great and so dire that many of his protégés – including those cooing local officials and crony contractors – would prefer not to think about it. For these characters who have made a pile out of the Speaker’s generosity through the decades, we cannot commiserate much with them; after all, like we said, they have made their pile and would, in all probability, jump onto the next available ship for their continued survival.
But what should grieve us – in case JDV falls – is the coming fate of all the little people, faceless as they may be, whom he has helped and continues to help one way or the other while he sits on that third highest throne in the land. Sure, he would remain a congressman but the power that comes with the Speakership makes for the aura of executive control that many ordinary folk readily associate with his ability to do “miracles” for them thru the simple expediency of writing a note to any department, unit or agency on their behalf.
For these simple, unassuming people who would flock to the Speaker’s location whenever he’s in the city, the Speaker’s attention is always the next best thing to having the President herself looking after their tiny needs and big woes. I know many of these people and I know that, to them, Joe’s being there is immeasurable and unquantifiable in terms of giving them hope and solace in their desperate times.

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