JAN 6-12, 2011
“Una lang si Marcos ug 2 years sa ako. Si Marcos 1965 na Presidente, ako 1967 na kagawad sa barrio Sampao, Kapalong,” said the elected ABC president of Carmen, Davao del Norte.
He is Restituto Salaysay, second-termer barangay captain of Barangay Mangalcal.
It was during the Presidency of Ferdinand Marcos that he first learned about voluntary service in Kapalong’s barrio Sampao. It was more about sharing one’s time as a little politician doing like a little concerned neighbor of baryuhanons. That without a salary unlike now.
In 1984 he transferred residence at Barangay Mangalkal, 3 kms from Carmen downtown, and surprisingly after 5 years of living there he was already the top choice of Mangalkal villagers among all those running in the 1989 barangay polls, propelling him to become the barangay captain for 5 years. That election was a free-for-all one- whoever among the candidates landed as Number 1 or whoever obtained the highest number of votes became automatically the barangay kapitan.
“Natalo ko ang incumbent kapitan na Number 5 lang at doon ako nag-umpisa sa politika ko sa Carmen,” said the ABC rep-Councilor Salaysay.
“Seguro sa ugali ko nasiyahan ang mga tao sa akin. Madali lang akong lapitan,” he added when asked of his political secret.
He served as Mangalkal kapitan from 1989 to 2004, and in 2004 polls he ran and won as a regular municipal councilor for the term 2004-2007.
He ran for reelection in 2007 polls but he lost in the year’s May elections. But his being out of public office was only temporary and good for only few months as he ran and won again as kapitan of Mangalkal for the term 2007-2010. By his camaraderie-oriented politics with barangay people, he easily got reelected as kapitan in the October 2010 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
If Kapitan Salaysay had his first in serving the barrio during the pre-Martial Law time, he had also his another first as a farmer. In Sampao he tilled and sooner by hardwork he was able to buy a seven-hectare land at Barangay Luna, Kapalong.
As early as 1969 his land became a part in the start of the cavendish banana farming in Davao del Norte, 4 hectares of which were leased by Stanfilco for 10 years until 1980, and the remaining 3 hectares were under his own banana growership, he said.
In 1980 Stanfilco’s lease ended and he controlled again the 4 hectares, thus giving him 7 hectares under his own banana growership production.
His own banana production aided by a little store tended by his wife had managed them as parents to send their nine children to school, and now all of them have graduated from college.
Of his 9 children, 2 are now policemen, 1 a Dapecol prison custodial personnel, 1 dentist, 1 optometrist, 1 med tech graduate now working inDavaoRegionalHospitaland a commerce graduate.
His political timeline- though an interrupted one- from President Marcos to President P-Noy is a colorful mix of various experiences of running a barangay government and representing the barangays in the municipality.
And Restituto Salaysay- true to his name- is one jolly kapitan telling his own story about his success as a farmer, a family man and a barangay official. (cha monforte)
Filed under: Restituto Salaysay, Sampao Kapalong, Barangay Mangalcal carmen, kapalong, Restituto Salaysay, Sampao, Sampao Kapalong
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