At first glance, one is tempted, to describe him as fresh from the hip hop academy. That is, if there’s any such institution. But looks can be deceptive. Just probe deeply into his being and you will find out that at 23, he is already his own man.
Two years into Inabanga’s highest elective office, Mayor Jono Jumamoy has morphed from his boy-next- door image to a serious contender to any political position up for grabs. But that is going ahead of his political plans. Since he just merely scrapped the bottom of the mayoralty barrel, he is training his eyes for another crack of the same post that catapulted him as the youngest mayor the Philippines ever had.
Yes, Kith, Mayor jumamoy earned the bragging right as the youngest mayor of the country way back in 2007.
With nothing but a bachelor’s degree in International Business Management earned at Palm Beach, Florida, USA, he was dismissed as “wet between the earns†when he assumed office as Inabanga mayor.
Of course, it helped that he filled in the shoes of her mother, Josephine Socorro Jumamoy. But it was too big a size for him, literally and figuratively.
Indeed, the shoe size left by his mother was, by all accounts, ill fit for a greenhorn like him. But like any first timer, the jitters were all part of the territory.
Two years after, it’s a different ballgame altogether.
This means, he has adjusted to the job of being looked up to as “father of the townâ€, young he may be.
As he buckled down to work, he found out that it’s all common sense and a lot of patience in dealing with all kinds of characters on a daily basis. Like a chameleon, it was a matter of blending to the kind of environment one was in.
Now that he is on top of the situation, he recalls with fond memories his first days in office.
His US education must have taken a toll on him that in his first days in office, he was observed to have been barking orders “ I want this, I want thatâ€.
Pity the young boy who was not used to the way of politics. In retrospect, it dawned upon him, that not even a stateside education is a surefire guarantee that one knows the ways of the world let alone that of politics. They called it culture shock of the political kind.
Consider himself, now, as a learning disciple of party politics.
With 50 barangay captains to contend with, Mayor Jumamoy is just a small fish in the big pond. But as he goes along with local governance, he realizes that every step of the way, all he needs is knowing how to swim with the tide.
Swim he did and win the hearts and minds of 47 village heads.
With the majority of the barangay heads at his side, he formed Team Inabanga with the entire elected officialdom of the municipality part of the nucleus of the organization.
In effect, no major undertaking of the town is implemented without the blessing of Team Inabanga. Built around the team effort of town and barangay officials, Team Inabanga is the epitome of unity and cooperation to any endeavor the town is laying its hands on.
For example, at his young age, he can now rattle off with effortless ease the benefits of responsible parenthood like most of his adult counterparts are preaching.
According to the mayor’s blueprint, responsible parenthood should work hand in hand with the town’s livelihood program.
Putting up a face of this two-pronged program, he was reminded of an island sortie where he met a young boy. Still unschooled even if he were of school age already, he was touched of what awaits of the boy’s future if he won’t do something to help his lot.
Actually, he was referring to what he can do as mayor to improve the lot of fisherfolks in the island who in most cases thrive in illegal fishing. The mayor was thinking that if the young boy grows up to be a man, does he has any choice except to follow the footsteps of his father who happens to be a dynamite fisher?
This question bugs him no end that looking back to the grim scenario of the unschooled boy, he cannot help but be carried away by what he encountered in that island. Touched and absorbed, another question keeps cropping up? What will happen, say, 10 years from now? Will his livelihood program makes any difference to better off the life of the young boy and his family?
Against this backdrop, Mayor Jumamoy swung into action to make livelihood as a major component of his development program.
With improving the quality of life as the earmark of the program, Mayor jumamoy started with the drive against illegal fishing. Considering the length of its coastline including those in the islands, he announced to all and sundry that he will not tolerate illegal fishing.
His mantra was that with illegal fishing under control, marginal fishermen will be able to practice their calling amidst the backdrop of abundant catch.
May be to test his political will if he meant business, illegal fishers aboard a fishing vessel from a neighboring town intruded into Inabanga waters.
Bringing a small compliment of his sea borne patrol, Mayor Jumamoy led the apprehension of notorious fishermen.
With the message that he was out to implement the law no matter who they are, Mayor Jumamoy made no qualms if the fishing boat owner haggled for a lighter penalty, say, being allowed to pay the fine as mandated by law and then go scot free. Only to strike again when the situation calls for it?
No way, the mayor balked. With his determined drive against illegal fishing in mind, he caused the filing of cases against the perpetrators and see to it that the book is thrown at them.
In rationalizing his move, the young mayor said allowing those illegal fishers to buy their way out would result in the town generating much needed revenues. Under the law, fishing in illegalwaters will entail a fine of P2,500 per crewmember.
But what of it?
For a town longing for revenues, penalizing the illegal fishers was a fortune. But not, Mayor Jumamoy. True, it means additional money for the town coffers but he was looking at the long term effect.
Mayor Jumamoy said ridding his town of illegal fishers is like teaching his people how to fish in a seawaters that will be teeming with fish supply as soon as the agents of marine destruction are consigned to their proper place—the town jail.
With this kind of intestinal fortitude as displayed by Mayor Jumamoy, who can say that he has not been his own man.
source: Sunday Post
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