Cagayan de Oro hosts first ever Candidates Forum
Mike Banos
April 26, 2007
A crowd estimated at 6,000 persons sat through the four hour long forum which featured congressional aspirants for the city's two congressional districts and three full party slates running for local elective posts and some independent candidates.
"We accomplished what we came to do," said Roberto Ansaldo, convenor of Managsilingan Ta! (We are Neighbors) Cagayan de Oro civil society group.
Managsilingan Ta! Cagayan de Oro was patterned after the highly successful SILINGAN KA! ("You are my neighbor!") citizens' movement for clean elections and good governance initiated during the 2004 Elections by the Prelature of Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay under then Bishop Antonio Ledesma, who is now Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro Diocese.
"SILINGAN KA! (Sibugaynon Lihok Ngadto sa Nagpakabanang Katawan! Or Sibugaynons' Movement for a Concerned Citizenry) is a multi – sectoral, interfaith and inter – cultural citizens' movement," said Msgr. Ledesma during an earlier planning meeting for the event held at the Archbishop's House. " SK! works for meaningful and good governance. Its activities cover pre – election and post – election periods. It monitors candidates not only before elections but also winning candidates after elections to ensure good governance."
All major candidates were present at the congressional level but notably absent were incumbent city mayor Vicente Emano, who is running for vice mayor under his PaDayon Pilipino party, and former Misamis Oriental Governor Antonio Calingin, who is running for mayor under the National People's Coalition (NPC) banner. Also present were three independent candidates running for city mayor and city councilor.
The first half of the four-hour forum featured congressional candidates for the city's two congressional district discussing their platforms on national issues, while the second was for local candidates in the executive and legislative branches. Some 50 candidates overall joined the forum.
"It's a good start though we could use a better venue with better acoustics," said Manuel Valdehueza, an active civil society leader who formerly served with the Philippine Mission at the United Nations. "It's also difficult to accommodate all issues with the time allotted so I suggest holding the next forum by district."
Sr. Supt. Antonio Montalba, deputy city police director, said no untoward incidents marred the four-hour long forum except for the heckling and jeering of some candidates supporters.
As a finale, Mr. Montalba presided over the signing of a peace covenant by all participants present.
The forum was an initiative of Managsilingan Ta! Cagayan de Oro with the support of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, Inc. (COPC), Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan), Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, church-related organizations such as the Church-Business-Academe Conversations and PPCRV, National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), City Comelec Office, the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office and Parasat Cable TV.
"We have taped the entire proceedings and will be showing it periodically on cable TV to allow those who were not able to come to view it at their convenience," Mr. Ansaldo said. "Our partners in mass media led by the COPC will be broadcasting and posting the airing schedules periodically for the information of the general public."
Chona Echavez, another Managsilingan Ta! CDO stalwart, said the documentation of the whole proceedings will be posted at the website kagay-an.com to further increase voters access to pertinent information regarding the candidates.
"The site will also feature a forum where questions forwarded by the audience but were not accommodated due to the lack of time will be answered by the candidates concerned," she added.
Mr. Ansaldo said the results of the forum would also be distributed to the Archdiocese's 23 parish councils in the city to begin the process of discernment by parishioners to decide who among them are worth supporting.
"In this sense, the movement becomes partisan or better still, transpartisan. Issuing a list of worthy candidates is the right and duty of a citizen's movement that strives for meaningful elections and good governance," Msgr. Ledesma explained.
Mr. Ansaldo said the Managsilingan Ta! CDO list of candidates worth supporting would be made available at the kagay-an.com website by May 5, or a week before the May 14 elections to enable voters to evaluate their track record, qualifications and platforms.
"This list of worthy candidates should be viewed as an advisory, and not as a mandatory obligation," Msgr. Ledesma said. "The movement should always respect the freedom of each voter's conscience to make the final choice. If the selection of candidates is done on an impartial and objective set of criteria, the movement should be able to achieve a certain solidarity of votes by moral suasion."
Msgr. Ledesma related that 80 percent of the candidates selected by the SILINGAN KA! transpartisan group during the 2004 elections were voted into public office.
"Ultimately, in its vision for social transformation, Managsiligan Ta! CDO strives to move away from what the CBCP calls the traditional politics of "political patronage, payoffs, and personalities" to the new politics of "principles, party platforms and genuine people's participation," Msgr. Ledesma added.
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