“CHANGE may not come today nor tomorrow, perhaps not even in our lifetime... but let us begin!” This was one of the station identifications we used for DWRV Radio Veritas in 1989, and until now, I suppose this is still appropriate and significant to reflect upon today.

Yes, today, most, if not the majority, of our fellow Filipinos are seeking change — perhaps a change in their lifestyle, their work, their projects, politics, or even their love life.

Why do we want changes in our lifestyle, work, projects, politics, or even love life? Maybe because we are not content, our ideals are not met, or we are looking for something else based on our own perspective.

Just like the folks of Calamba, a component city in the province of Laguna in the southern part of Luzon, who seem to be dissatisfied with what is happening with their Local Government Unit (LGU), headed by their local chief executive, the Honorable Mayor Roseller “Ross” H. Rizal.

Last week, I had the chance to see the place when I visited the Dominican fathers at San Juan de Letran in Calamba. I didn’t notice anything new in the area.

I talked with some of the people there, and according to them, they have not seen or witnessed any project that their mayor has done for his constituents since he was elected three years ago. They are asking why their LGU focuses on giving out “ayuda” to selected families and individuals known to be close to or allies of the mayor.

“Mang Atong,” one of the townsfolk, said they were even surprised to learn from a friend working for the LGU that Mayor Rizal approved the amount of P40 Million just for the city’s Christmas decorations within the City Hall and its surroundings. This excludes the budget for the “Pamaskong Handog 2024” of the City Mayor, amounting to P409M, as stated in the “Bid Notice Abstract — Invitation to Bid” of the Philippine Government Procurement System of Calamba, Laguna.

You see, I sympathized with them because, listening to their stories and observations, I felt their longing for a new set of LGU administrators.

I think the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) should look into this matter and, if possible, conduct a thorough investigation into why the City Mayor is spending a lot on unnecessary things while perhaps overlooking the basic needs of his constituents.

The people of Calamba, Laguna, are asking higher authorities like the DILG or other investigating government agencies to probe the “Pamaskong Handog 2024” of Mayor Rizal. As they lamented, “The budget of Mayor Roseller ‘Ross’ H. Rizal’s Christmas gift is huge, higher than the budget allocated by big cities in Manila, yet many of us did not receive such a Christmas gift.”

“Calamba’s budget is even bigger compared to Pasig and Taguig. But the LGU has no budget allocation for other needs, like for the hospital for our poor. We just don’t have enough to receive from the local government when we ask for help.”

We hope that this matter will get the attention of the concerned government agencies so that justice will be given to the less fortunate folks of the city.