Love

a poem by Roger B Rueda

Like water cascades down the cliff
from the hills behind.
It flows gently down
into the vale.
It crashes against the shore
day after day.
It flows over the edges,
onto the land.
It flows steadily
out of heavens.
It falls from the clouds
in small dribs,
in soft white bits.
It flatteringly fills
not only some fissures
but all, to the hilt,
an amorphous, thin mass
rising and falling and graceful.
It pervades throughout the depth.

The Roles of our Senators and Representatives

an essay by Roger B Rueda

Every Filipino voter has to be mindful of the candidates she votes for, for voting is a means of putting her sovereignty into the hands of the one she votes for. Politicians who decide to buy the votes of the electorate with money have no regard or respect for the sovereignty of the people, a vote a sacred choice worth more than money. Voting to surrender one's sovereignty to another person is a serious decision making. It is giving our will, our power, our authority, our sovereignty to someone, for a nation becomes what its citizens vote for. The electorate have to move beyond mere party names, slogans, and adverts, and critically assess the proposals the parties have put on the table to tackle the developmental challenges of the nation. We, the electorate, should not allow the monetary and other material inducements to influence the choices we will make. The change is in us.

To esteem our legislators well, it is good that we know the roles they carry out.

Hereunder, I have listed here the roles our senators and representatives have. This may enlighten you, as regards the incoming Philippines national elections in May.

Well, senators and representatives function in many capacities as they discharge the numerous duties of their office. All of their accountabilities may be seen as apt into four key roles: policymaker, constituent servant, representative, and pundit.

Policymaker

This is the most important role for any member of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators and representatives cast a lot of votes each session. Most votes are on procedural matters, some are on legislative issues, and a few are on appointments and confirmations.

Tax cuts, health care reform, and entitlement spending are just a few of the issues that members vote on every year, with fiscal implications running in the billions of pesos. When it comes time for re-election, most members – mainly senators – are judged on their voting record by the voters.

Every senator and representative needs to be generalists, understanding something about almost everything  – global warming, urban poor, commodity programmes, medicine, IT, flowers, conversion of a state college to a university, and much, much more.

Constituent Servant

This is a less conspicuous and desirable role than law-making, but for House members above all it can be equally as important come re-election time. Members are expected to get involved on behalf of their constituents to help solve problems, endorse local businesses and trade, bring money and projects back to the district, and explain the meaning of legislation to affected interest groups. House members tend to pay closer attention to constituent casework than do their upper chamber counterparts.

Representative

Much as it sounds, this role relates to the legislator's duty to understand and represent the views of their constituents in Pasay City or Quezon City – one of the foundations of a pro-republic government. Members commonly adopt one of two tactics when discharging their representative duty.

Senators take a broader or ‘trustee’ view of representation, meaning that they put the interests of the country before the narrow needs of a city or district or province where they come from.

Other members (most often representatives) believe that their votes should replicate the views of their constituents, even if it's at variance with their own philosophies. Most members will vary their approach depending on the issue.

Pundit

As a final point, members have a duty to edify the public about the issues that are before the Legislative body. They characteristically keep their constituents cognisant through newssheets, office hours in the district, city hall meetings, direct mail, and media guestings. Some of the much keener members will use committee or subcommittee hearings as a way to fire up public opinion and ‘educate’ the body of voters to their particular (every so often subjective) standpoint.

For more information, visit http://www.senate.gov.ph/ and http://www.congress.gov.ph/.

Out the Window

a poem by Roger B Rueda

in a schematised
sign of the heavens,
which is resplendent
with figures of divinities
turning my woe,
i plop shingles
amidst my dactyls.

in this daily dozen
i find a relief
for cricks as little
as that bold,
shivered-pinioned
cicada resting,
sneaking on the tilt
of a palm leaf.

On Voting Smartly

an essay by Roger B Rueda

A lot of voters take positions on political issues without doing their assignment. They are simply won over by friends, the mass media, the political party their family have constantly supported, or what they have confidence in is the predominant public judgement. With a little enquiry, any person can be an educated constituent. Here are the things I want you to do to be a clever person on the electoral roll.

1

Call on the websites for the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) and Liberal parties, as well as third-party groups. Learn about their primary objectives, values, proposals, and favoured programmes. You can try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nationalist_Alliance or http://www.liberalparty.ph/. (In making our decision we should peruse the politicians accomplishments for the past three years.)

2

Go to the official websites of the senatorial candidates for this election. Like the party sites, they will present predisposed opinions for why that candidate is the best in the field. Relate them to each other, and compare the educations and capabilities of each candidate without favouritism. Read the major programmes each candidate wants to implement and ask if it would help you.

3

Pay attention to contrasting standpoints. It is not uncommon for people to thoughtlessly keep an eye on the word of the party they wish to vote for, or just vote against the other party. An educated voter should be able to come up with real explanations for why she is voting for someone or against someone else. The only way to do that is to consider the standpoints of all candidates without preference. Watch any debates and take notes on how aspirants explain or defend their policy proposals.

4

Read the profiles of all candidates, as well as any declarations for and against local propositions. Know if your politicians attend session regularly or if they have professionalism on their dealings. Ask your friends if a political party and a personal ambition play the primary roles in shaping how politicians view the adequacy of professionalism in their workplaces.

5

Show up at caucuses. Ask your politicians some issues and let them shed light on the issues you don’t understand.

6

Don't depend on quotes in a newspaper article or broadcast sound bites for information. If you missed a speech or news conference, read the texts online, or watch it in its totality online.

7

Write to the politician who has given you some money. Send the money back to him by mail and explain why you are voting for him without his money. Tell him that he should respect you because you have respect for him and that you believe that a vote is a sacred thing for you as you have a sense of human dignity. Don't let your politicians affront you. 

8
Befriend your local politicians at Facebook. Communicate with them. Like their pages. Interact with your barangay chair, councillors, mayor, representative, board members, governor, and senators. Know them well.

Remember voting is not like ordering food off of a menu. When you order bloodstew at a restaurant, you alone bear the consequences of your decision. No one else gets stuck with bloodstew. If you make a bad choice, at least you are hurting only yourself. For the most part, you ought to internalise all of the costs and benefits of your decision.

Cheese Ring

a poem by Roger B Rueda

for Arleen

On the table lay a wrapper of Cheese Ring:

by itself  is a carroty ring left behind.

I stared at it, gobsmacked, a bit diverted.

Shyness got through it, perhaps

or chock-fullness.

It must have felt lonelier in the middle

of nowhere.

It must have been muddled.

It must have been woebegone.

It must have thought it was flukier

than most.

When it saw the lizard

crawling up  towards it,

it heaved a weary sigh.

When the waiter came,

it smiled, it tittered.

It shivered with fear when he

was about to tip it

into the bin of oddments.

It tasted good with a creamy texture

after I laid hold of it and hurled it to my gob.

Christ

a poem by Roger B Rueda

You were a fresh pea in the pod
of eternity, indulgent, innocent,
modest, longsuffering, warm.
You began to seed yourself
down the steep hillside
of Golgotha 2013 years ago,
your hull smashed, castigated,
unloved, reviled, spurned.
My grandmother, yes,
she is, she must be
a squash in the garden
of all time now, bearing
bounties, the old woman
your select seed, I consider,
her glasses lost when she
acted upon a sacrament;
she went home squinting
at the street.
I know the laws of Segregation
and of Independent Assortment.
Mum, too; me, too:
we’ve chosen you.
We’ve been dripping wet
in your blood, our time:
we are folding up,
flourishing, rousing, withstanding,
making out, entreating, waiting –
till the stretch we, too, seed
ourselves in memory of your love.