Because I value my vote so much, I’ll cast it solely for Dr. Boren Y. Villamor. Whether he wins or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that with him, my vote will never go to waste.

Boren embraces public service like it’s a lifeline. And he remains focused on this noble vision to the point that many times he has foregone great opportunities that would have made his life with his family more comfortable.

Boren has impeccable track record. He had served the masses in remote areas in the hinterlands of Mindanao even before he finished medical school. A pediatrician with a bleeding heart, Boren continues to champion the cause of the less fortunate especially in the area of cheaper and affordable, if not free, access to medical assistance. He knows it’s a lonely and an uphill battle, but Boren perseveres.

A class valedictorian with matinee idol looks and a killer smile, Boren is soft spoken and self-effacing. But what impresses me most about Boren is his being down to earth, his being humble and grounded, and his wanting a life so simple yet meaningful. All these even if he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Boren has brains. Boren has passion. But most importantly, Boren has that singular character needed for genuine public service. This is the combination that Tago surely and sorely needs.

I’m Romel M. Oribe. And I’m voting for Dr. Boren Y. Villamor.

Vicente L. Pimentel Sr. Boulevard

When the bust of Vicente L. Pimentel Sr. was put on a pedestal in the central part of the boulevard of Tandag City, tongues began wagging. A certain Aeonoel was commissioned to sculpt the image that took two years to finish. Made of concrete cement and moulded from plaster of Paris, the bust acquired a bronze patina from a Pylox vinyl spray.

People whine: How could the Pimentels do this to us? Don’t they have delicadeza? Understandably, the last one comes from people expecting the Pimentels to exercise restraint instead of perpetrating an act everybody perceives to be too self-serving as they are the sitting powers-that-be.

People are raising a howl because they couldn’t see the reason behind venerating the Pimentel patriarch with a boulevard that carries his name. Camp Vicente Pimentel in Telaje, yes, they say, because the Pimentels donated the land on which the military camp stands. But the boulevard?

Pray tell: What’s the rule on this?

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines has issued the Revised Guidelines on the Naming and Renaming of Streets, Public Schools, Plazas, Building, Bridges and other Public Structures. Section IV [Naming/Renaming after Persons] provides, thus: Street, plaza or any public place may be named or renamed to honor a person or family who contributed to the welfare of the Filipino people.

Oh well, the phrase "who contributed to the welfare of the Filipino people" provides a wide latitude to play around.

It is a public knowledge that Vicente Luna Pimentel Sr. was a lawyer who became an assemblyman and a Constitutional Convention delegate during the time of President Ferndinand Marcos. Pimentel has always been described as the patriarch and pillar of Surigao del Sur politics he being the first governor of the once undivided Surigao.

(Photo credit: Jonathan V. Lagang)

Of the many campaign materials assaulting my visual sense since this mad scramble to E-day began, I have yet to see one that contains a political platform or a simple slogan that would tell me what the candidate intends to work on once he gets elected. Is this intentional, meaning, is this the candidate’s way of dodging accountability, of playing safe? Or is this reflective of the candidate’s cluelessness of things political?

Posters and handbills are the candidate’s first level of communication in any election campaign. Such being the case, campaign materials need to catch the eye of voters if a candidate wants to be on the right track.

But how?

By remembering that design is the single most important thing, be it for a poster, a tarp, or a handbill. A good design always creates a positive association in the voter's mind where the candidate is concerned. Of course design includes layout, the message that a candidate wants to put across, the photo of the candidate himself, and a catchy slogan.

When designing the campaign materials, it’s important for the candidate to strike a chord with his target voters and convey his message effectively. Does he want to be straightforward, questioning, or intriguing? The choice is his and his alone.

And so he has a slogan? Okay, he should let that slogan be the headline and render the other details in smaller but readable fonts. He should always remember not to cram his campaign posters and handbills with a lot of texts. Instead he should keep it brief, letting the image do the talking as much as possible.

These are the things I’ve been looking for in the wasteland we call Philippine politics. And so far, no such luck. Because what I see are campaign posters that contain nothing but the candidates’ numbers and their photos. And even these are overly Photoshopped they look like audition rejects from the fourth instalment of the Twilight saga.