Successful grassroots meetings and a pledge to avoid mudslinging

Before anything let me profusely thank all of you for your continuing efforts to build up support for our campaign even while I am on the road doing preliminary contact-building and consultations with various groups that were already organized for me to meet and talk to before the official campaign period. Thus even if I am not able to open my e-mails specially in places where there are no internet centers I am confident that there is a competent group like you that is handling all of these for me.

We must be aware at this point in time that this is one period where all kinds of propaganda would surface
instantaneously from nowhere which is intended to damage the image of candidates. Sad to say, this is the kind of politics that we have in this country and I guess even powerful countries like the U.S. have their own brand of dirty politics. This may not be our style as we would prefer instead to build up on the positive side of our candidate as well as on the strength of our program of government. But if there is anything that we have to necessarily cite in the course of this campaign, we should always make sure that there is truth in what we write and say. We shall not be drawn into a mudslinging situation where there is no winner, only losers, whether you win the votes or not. At least this will not be our pastime during this campaign.

I just arrived here in Baguio last night from a meeting at Mt. Data Hotel with the advance party of the residential Management Staff and the Presidential Security Group in preparation for the coming visit of President GMA at Mt. Data on Monday, March 1, 2010 to inaugurate the Phase II SONA Highway Project. I actually traveled straight from Tabuk, Kalinga 5:00 a.m. yesterday to catch up with the meeting and afterward drove to Baguio. With your indulgence, let me share some of the highlights of my recent travel for your information:

Feb. 16, 2010: After I was given the green light to travel by our elders in Sagada, I immediately headed for Bagnen, the birthplace of my father and where my other relatives live. A meeting was arranged where elders and leaders gathered to discuss preparations for the coming campaign. Around a month ago in Baguio City I was invited to meet with the "Bonat di I-Bangnen", an organization of people who trace their roots in Bagnen and I was conferred as their candidate for the coming elections.

Feb. 19-23, 2010: I set my sights on Paracelis, the easternmost town of this province and the widest municipal area covering a third of the entire land area of Mountain Province. We have our man in the area who was assigned to cover Natonin and Paracelis in order to lay the groundwork for organizing the campaign in that part of the province. Already there were groups designated to help out in several barangays in the area. I was accompanied by Sagada ABC president, Jaime "Tigan-o" Dugao with two other fellows, and our driver Joseph "Baluga" Bagano. We arrived in Barangay Bananao on the afternoon of Feb. 19 and met with a large group of officials and leaders. Incidentally there is an on-going farm-to-market road being implemented in this barangay which we helped to source out from the Office the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP). There are four such projects in 4 barangays of Paracelis that I helped release from the OPAPP for projects like school-buildings, clinics, or waterworks systems. Two of these are about to be inaugurated this first week of March where I am invited to attend.

Many of these folks are openly supportive of my candidacy specially after the consultations. I think that group encounters like the above, as many as I can meet in a given time, are the best means to effectively project myself and our political platforms. At least there is a healthy exchange between the candidate and the group gathered and closer relations are forged.

At Barangay Marat after supper, another meeting took place. Present in this consultations were Paracelis acting-Mayor Almeda, mayoralty candidates Fr. Madanom (ECP), and Mr. Banggot.

For the next few days it would be a meeting of many groups in different barangays on the average of three groups each day from morning till evening. We were able to reach some of the remoter villages of the municipality but we still have to go back to visit the other areas as well. It was very tiring indeed, both on the body and on the mind, but very educational, challenging, and encouraging all throughout.

In this particular trip, we have observed both some weaknesses and strengths. As we already noted from the start I am the candidate among the four vying for the congressional post who is running for the first time on the provincial level and therefore I have not been exposed widely to the voting population of the province. It is not unusual to hear folks say, "But we have not seen this candidate. How can we vote for him"! On the other hand, being new in the arena, people come out to meet and listen to the new candidate, and that's what has been happening since I started to meet the various groups and sectors. And because I tend to attract more people I start to gain more converts and more support. Clearly that's the trend as I go about to reach more people and more communities. How much and how wide I can reach, and how deep I can communicate and develop a good rapport with the people is therefore the most probable answer to how we can achieve a good level of success in this exercise.

Another positive observation to our trip is that even while Paracelis is greatly divided by various factions after the death of the late Mayor Ceasar Rafael with 8 candidates running for the mayoralty post we are gaining political support from the leaders of many factions, even factions who are at odds with each other on the political spectrum. In other words these factions are willing to accommodate me while they carry their respective local candidates.

Finally on Feb. 23 we did an exit via Tabuk, Kalinga where we visited the ailing Atty. William "Billy" Claver at his home where we shared the various developments. This is one personality who has been encouraging me to run even as early as last year. Even while in bed he has been campaigning for our candidacy to his guests specially from Paracelis and Natonin who visit him at his bedside.

Looking back on the few days of travel that I recently did, it likewise clearly shows that mobility and daily sustenance have to be sustained all throughout the election period towards the end. In our case, the strength and wealth of volunteerism on our side is addressing much of the expenses. Thanks to all the support you are all providing both on the local and international levels we are saving on expenses by a hundredfold.

In the next few days, after the visit of President GMA to the province I shall do another travel either back to eastern Mountain Province or in the Abagatan side which includes Sabangan, Bauko, and Tadian whatever our coordinators would advise.

THANK YOU AND GOOD DAY!

Yours truly,
Thomas "Champag" Killip