25/04/2025
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗶 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀
Let us be clear: Joel Mayo Z. Almario is no stranger to public office. But the question we must ask in 2025 is not who has held titles, authored bills, or filed proposals—it is who has delivered transformative leadership where it matters most: at the ground level, in the city, with the people.
For all the legislative achievements his campaign highlights—some of which are still in stages of development or implementation—the true test of leadership is not what’s proposed in Congress, but what is sustained and felt by the people long after the cameras are gone.
Mayo Almario may have helped turn Mati into a city on paper. But what defines a city is not the ink on a House Bill—it’s the governance that follows. And in the years that followed cityhood, the Almario political dynasty had their turn at leadership. The question is: what did they do with it? Was Mati transformed, or was it stalled?
Contrast that with the present leadership of Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat, under whose administration Mati has consistently gained national recognitions—from tourism and nutrition to health, governance, and innovation. Rabat’s leadership focused on implementation, not intention. Progress, not publicity.
This is not a dismissal of Mayo Almario’s legislative efforts, but a reality check: Mati cannot afford to trade steady, effective governance for lofty, unfulfilled visions.
And let us not ignore the pattern. For all the talk of “new beginnings,” Almario’s candidacy is a familiar play from an old script—a return of a dynasty long entrenched in the province’s political fabric. His reentry is not driven by fresh ideas, but by political preservation.
The people of Mati should not be swayed by nostalgia or family name. We must move forward, not backward. Our city needs leaders who are present, engaged, and focused on delivering real outcomes—not just authoring bills in distant halls of Congress.
In 2025, we need to ask ourselves: do we want to go back to recycled leadership, or do we continue building on the momentum of meaningful local change?
The answer is not in history books or legislative journals. It’s in the streets of Mati, where the people deserve more than promises—they deserve results.
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𝗔𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗡𝗴𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗶 𝗠𝗮𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝗴-𝗼 𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗯𝗮𝗴-𝗼, 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗶 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸
Tinood, si Joel Mayo Z. Almario dili bag-o sa serbisyo publiko. Pero ang pangutana sa 2025 dili kung kinsa na ang nakalingkod o nakapasa og balaod—kundili kinsa ang epektibong lider nga naa sa siyudad, nakig-uban sa katawhan, ug naghatag og tinood nga kausaban.
Oo, adunay mga balaod nga iyang gipasiugdahan, pero daghan niini hangtod karon wala pa gyud tinuod nga nabati sa katawhan. Ang paghimong siyudad sa Mati pinaagi sa House Bill? Kana usa ka papel. Apan ang pangutana: unsa man ang nahitabo human nahimong siyudad ang Mati? Kinsa ba ang tinuod nga nihatag og direksyon, serbisyo, ug kalambuan?
Ang kasamtangang administrasyon ni Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat ang klaro nga tubag. Ilawom sa iyang pagpangulo, nakadawat ang Mati og daghang pasidungog gikan sa nasyonal nga lebel—sa turismo, nutrisyon, kalusugan, ug maayong pagdumala. Dili lang kay plano, kundi tinuod nga buhat.
Dili kini pasipala kang Mayo Almario. Apan kinahanglan nato tan-awon ang tinuod: ang Mati dili angay ibalik sa karaan nga estilo sa politika nga nakapadugay sa atong pag-uswag.
Ang iyang pagdagan karon dili usa ka bag-ong sugilanon. Kini usa ka balik-balik nga eksena sa dynastiyang dugay nang nagdominar sa Davao Oriental. Wala’y bag-ong ideya, kundi pagpadayon lang sa ilang gahum.
Sa 2025, angay natong pangutan-on ang atong kaugalingon: gusto ba nato nga mobalik sa daan nga paagi, o ipadayon nato ang progreso nga nadugayan natong gihandom?
Ang tubag wala sa Kongreso—naa kini sa atong mga barangay, kadalanan, ug komunidad. Ang lungsod sa Mati nanginahanglan og lider nga andam mopadayon sa serbisyo, dili sa politika.
