Reigniting Political Participation Through Community Engagement

JULITA, LEYTE COUNCILOR JUDE ROMUALDEZ ENVISIONS A MOTIVATED AND ENGAGED COMMUNITY THAT CARES AMONG OTHERS TO UPLIFT EACH INDIVIDUAL’S LIVES, STIMULATING POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL GROWTH.

Councilor Romualdez illustrates how civic engagement is very low in the town of Julita, Leyte and how he is driven by this challenge to show what Julita, Leyte could be if we change the apathy to action, and move the youth to delve into civic events so little by little, the town sees itself as a progressive community.

“Panahon na upang baguhin yung paniniwalang ok lang kahit hindi makibahagi sa mga gawain kasi hindi uunlad ang bayan kapag hindi tayo lahat kikilos. Yung ‘sige pwede na yan’, ‘kung ano lang ang meron, ganun lang,’ ayoko ng ganon kasi ako hindi ganon. Let’s think outside the box. Kailangan mayroong bago naman, bagong makikita, at bagong mapapansin.” (It’s time to change the mentality that it's ok not to take part in community activities because we will not progress if we do not act together. The ‘that will do,’ ‘whatever is there is already fine,’ attitude is something I resent because I’m not like that. Let’s think outside the box. There must be something new, something new to see, and something new to notice.)

“IT’S TIME TO CHANGE THE MENTALITY THAT IT'S OK NOT TO TAKE PART IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES BECAUSE WE WILL NOT PROGRESS IF WE DO NOT ACT TOGETHER.... LET’S THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. THERE MUST BE SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING NEW TO SEE, AND SOMETHING NEW TO NOTICE."

Julita, being a fifth-class municipality, is behind when it comes to health and nutrition programs, civic engagement, and number of emergency vehicles, among others. The young councilor aims to put Julita on the map of Leyte province and be up to date when it comes to programs, community services, and facilities for the town.

FROM PRIVATE TO PUBLIC LIFE

Like a typical Juan dela Cruz, Romualdez dreamed of going abroad. He ended up being employed in Dubai where he worked all day and took care of the chores at night. The next day, he would find himself waking up to go to work and repeat the same routine. He found himself in a challenging situation of being alone in a country with a different culture and language. Just like a typical overseas Filipino worker, he braced through this with hopes and dreams of a better life. Once he had a family, he found it harder to live in a community that doesn’t feel like home so he went back to the Philippines and became an entrepreneur. Although it was hard for Romualdez to leave at once, especially because of the high salary, having a small child pushed him to go back to the Philippines.

Upon seeing the Julita he left and came home to, Romualdez felt the need to run for office because he saw how backward life was and he wanted to serve the people well. He had seen different cities and towns and he wanted Julita tobe like such. The young councilor mentions that when he was younger, he also thought of becoming a politician someday, and he thought that having come home, it was time for him to serve the people of Julita.

Romualdez shares that he was inspired by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.'s leadership. He was also inspired by his father who was also in politics before. In the eye of a small boy who grew up in a family of politicians, he was inspired to serve immediately and attend to the needs of the people. His father inspired him to be approachable and accommodating to the needs of his constituents so that they would not need to come back for their needs. At present, he is proactive in looking for what projects or facilities he can provide for his constituents, and regularly hears out barangay officials so that the services he provides them is tailored to what they need.

A BELIEVER IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, ROMUALDEZ USES SPORTS DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICES IN COMMUNITY BUILDING. THIS ENABLES THE TOWN OF JULITA TO HAVE A PROACTIVE, COLLABORATIVE, RESPONSIVE, AND HAPPIER COMMUNITY.

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

To develop and cultivate social bonds within the community, the young councilor prioritizes sports and recreation activities. As vice chairman of the Committee on Youth and Sports, Romualdez initiates Sangguniang Kabataan-related projects and basketball tournaments to turn the youth into active members of a proactive, healthier, and happier community. Romualdez mentions that in Julita, basketball is the number one sport. If there’s a tournament or any basketball-related event, people will go and watch, no matter what time it is or no matter how late it ends. Through looking into youth behavior in different barangays, Romualdez discovered that this brings happiness and joy to the community. Thus, he thought of holding basketball events like three-point shootouts, half-court shootouts, and others that the people had not personally seen or taken part in previously. Through these events, the youth felt included in the process of community-building.

A believer in sports for the youth and a lover of basketball as well, Romualdez has his own basketball team that takes part in different tournaments across Leyte. He wanted to provide young basketball players with better opportunities and have them sign up for good tournaments to improve their skills and enable them to be known provincewide.

To further community engagement and to ensure that all the needs of the different barangays are met, the councilor also joins barangay assemblies, apart from attending the opening of the basketball tournaments initiated by the Sangguniang Bayan in all barangays. Romualdez makes sure to sit down with the people and hear our their needs, concerns, and suggestions to make their community safer, economically-sound, and responsive. He mentions that such visits are a must especially since their session is only conducted once a week. He uses the feedback he gains as basis for the resolutions and ordinances he drafts.

OVERCOMING MALNUTRITION

Romualdez believes in services that target the weaknesses of Julita. He has observed that with a high malnutrition rate, children have stunted growth and their height and weight are less than the ideal. With this, he saw the need for intervention and thus initiated a well-coordinated feeding program in schools. Prior to conducting the feeding program, Romualdez makes sure that each community is informed through the barangay officials that there will be a feeding program.

EMERGENCY VEHICLES FOR JULITA

The young councilor saw the need for new emergency vehicles like ambulances and police cars. Romualdez requested for new ambulances for Julita from the Bureau of Fire Protection in July 2022 and through perseverance and constant follow ups, the request was granted and the new vehicles were delivered in November 2022. He also noticed that the police cars were old and outdated so he requested new ones from the Department of the Interior and Local Government. The patrol cars arrived in December 2023.

MAKING USE OF JULITA COCONUT HOUSING

Julita Coconut Housing was established after the town was hit by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. It was established for affected families who needed shelter. When Romualdez was elected, he became chairperson of the Committee on Housing and he saw an opportunity to make good use of Julita Coconut Housing. He served as the bridge to have the application for units reopened, and to date, 150 families reside in the housing project.

It was not an easy process for the young councilor but with determination, experience in politics, and friends in higher offices, he was able to do a full implementation of the housing project which had been in place since 2015. As the councilor describes it, he approached the project the way private companies implement their projects. He sent emails setting appointments with the National Housing Agency (NHA) in Manila, after which the NHA referred him to a regional agency. The regional agency in turn followed up with the local government unit.

A NEOPHYTE RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

Romualdez laments the limitations brought about by his current position. Being a councilor whose role is legislative in nature, he has seen how limited an impact he can give his constituents. He recalls a time when after drafting a request, a national government agency official called up to ask who made the request. He realized that had he been the local chief executive, his request could have been acted on more swiftly.

Aside from the limited capacity a councilor has, being a neophyte among councilors who have had at least one term has been difficult. The edge that young and neophyte officials show is that they want change; however, not all see the need for such changes. Again, we could see how limited the influence one councilor in the whole council could have.

Because of this, Romualdez thought of putting himself in a better capacity to serve his constituents. He has decided to seek higher office as vice mayor in the 2025 elections. He is convinced that as vice mayor, he would be able to propose and initiate more projects that would have a bigger impact on his constituents. “To my constituents in Julita, Leyte, let’s be more positive and let’s focus and adapt to change. Let's embrace new projects and programs that will come our way because these are all for you," the young councilor ends.

"TO MY CONSTITUENTS IN JULITA, LEYTE, LET’S BE MORE POSITIVE AND LET’S FOCUS AND ADAPT TO CHANGE. LET'S EMBRACE NEW PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT WILL COME YOUR WAY BECAUSE THESE ARE ALL FOR YOU."