"Social media is not about the exploitation of technology but service to community."
-- Simon Mainwaring
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- We won't be surprised if President Rodrigo Duterte will next invite detained Senator Leila de Lima for a dinner after Vice President Leni Robredo.
The President might also invite in the future his chief critic, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, and all those who have tasted real terror from his cussing and threats.
It's another story if they accept the invitation.
After all, Judas dined with Jesus. Voltaire had a sumptuous meal with Catherine the Great.
The President has always been unpredictable. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
The right had accused him of siding with the left when he allegedly made a "sweetheart deal" with Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Ma. Sison during the campaign period.
But when President Duterte terminated the peace talks with the rebels, their doubts about his being a pro-communist were gone.
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LEADERS of the smallest political unit in the Philippines are in the news nowadays now that there is a proposal that instead of electing them in October, President Rodrigo Duterte intends to just appoint 340,000 of them nationwide.
The number includes both the village chiefs or barangay chairs and council members.
The proposed appointment process is facing major legal obstacles, but whether they will be appointed or elected, it's certain, barring unforeseen circumstances, that we will have new or reelected barangay leaders before end of the year.
We suggest to all those aspiring to become village chiefs to at least study the rudiments of technology.
It may not be mandatory for them to have college degrees, but in this age, they have to be at least technology-literate. Especially those living in urban areas.
Everything is now operated by technology -- communication, transportation, monitoring systems, financial transactions, among other basic necessities and services.
They can expedite their transactions and important messages to their constituents, their mayors, and the police if they are updated with the latest wonders of technology.
SERVICES
Our village leaders will be left behind--and basic services will be delayed and stymied--if they don't even know how to use or operate a smartphone, a mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, Internet access, and an operating system capable of running downloaded applications.
There are instances when village officials can't immediately rely on their secretaries like when a visitor suddenly goes directly to them to inquire about some important information.
With the use of Google in their laptops, tablets, or mobile gadgets, the matter is addressed with alacrity and dispatch.
It's understandable though that there are incumbent village officials in far-flung barangays, or in places with no electricity and concrete roads, who haven't even touched a computer.
