Repeatedly saying he would like to pass the baton of leadership to younger and capable Romblomanon as he contemplates life outside the political limelight, Rep. Eleandro Jesus Fabic “Budoy” Madrona is cruising to his third and last of a three-year term in the House of Representatives with a singular focus: to unify the fractious political elements in the province.
The goal is avowed and lofty, but simmering in the backburner as Romblon’s numerous “island-republics”, headed by politicians of all shapes and shades, prepare for the May 2025 elections.
In Romblon, only Madrona and no one else has echoed this noble ideal—unity—and all its implications and repercussions in the Romblomanon’s socio-economic and political existence. No one else has walked the talk of unity except Madrona.
The stellar names in Romblon politics (they are aplenty) have long been gone and not any one of them at the height of their political careers had ever attempted to forge provincial unity, perhaps knowing that any such stab to solidify into a single conglomerate the politicians of the province would undoubtedly fail. Or, perhaps, they never had the vision of a united Romblon.
Several factors hinder a viable and solid provincial unification. One of these is geography. Sibuyan, with its three towns; the Three Islands—Banton, Concepcion, and Corcuera; Tablas and its nine townships; the island of San Jose; and Romblon, where provincial authority is wielded, have all their distinct and separate social and political culture, including the nuances of language.
Politicians from these island groups may salute the same Philippine flag, sing the National Anthem and provincial hymn, and love things all Romblomanon, but that’s about it. In their politics, they read their own canon and dictate their own terms during elections. Whatever fiber binds them to the concept of a one Romblon is at best wafer thin, thus, tenuous. Calculating as they are, they lack the larger perspective of a province possessed by the spirit of unity, collective enterprise, and social cohesion.
Rep. Madrona understands this dilemma. He, thus, in this 21st century—the knowledge and information century—had assumed the huge and colossal task of making the mosaic of a fragmented Romblon unified and whole.
This task is natural to Madrona. His experience as a politician is unmatched in Romblon’s political history. His virtuoso performance as Romblon’s representative in the halls of Congress has put our province in the national map, and he is recognized all over the country for his skills in bringing home the bacon for all Romblomanon which, by the way, is the nature of a congressman’s work.
His achievements are both audible and visual.
Before his time, Romblon was a backwater province. Not anymore. For the visual, one has to only travel all over the province and experience the joy and thrill of cruising through asphalted roads and highways; of holding events in roofed gymnasiums; of studying in resilient-proof and durable school buildings; and of accessing medical care in full-staffed and fully-stacked health centers. Only Budoy Madrona made these possible.
For the audible, no one has asked, but please do now, how many Romblomanon have successfully entered the civil service and managed to obtain experiential qualifications due to Budoy’s intercession. No one has asked, but ask it now, how many sick and impaired Romblomanon have been healed and their well-being improved due to Budoy’s Samaritan heart. His generosity, not only as a leader but as a man, is beyond measure.
Ask Romblon State University, which Budoy has transformed from a barracks institution to a regional center of learning and excellence, with branches and extension offices existing in most towns of the province. Many of the RSU’s graduates are now great leaders and exemplars in their chosen professions and careers. Many hold positions of power in government and in the private sector. Had Budoy did not become congressman, I will bet my gin money these things would happen.
Now, Congressman Madrona is already a statesman, engaged in statecraft, and not anymore in parochial politics. His is no longer a parochial vision of waiting sheds and basketball courts, but a grand panorama of a modern province peopled by affluent, socially-cohesive, and globalist Romblomanon. Towards this vision Madrona now inexorably moves.
True that he still demands loyalty—for is that not what every successful leader dreams of?—but he now looks at a larger canvass, a canvass of a prosperous Romblon whose people are animated by the spirit of unity of purpose, social cohesion, self-reliance, and political decency.
The latter is sorely lacking in many of today’s Romblon politicians. They still crave for Budoy’s attention, as if the progress of their towns depends upon how hard they backslap the Congressman. Absent the hard work, they remonstrate him for unbelievable favors that in ancient times only the King of England could grant.
Unity—provincial unity—which is now Budoy’s currency as a statesman is a tough act to accomplish, but the confidence is there that he—we—can achieve this in the next three years. I, for one, believe that Budoy still has the best years ahead to see his dream realized.
For sure, the Congressman has at times expressed frustrations over those he expected to understand why he acts the way he acts and does the things he does fail to do so. Some of these politicians are even closest to him.
But in the main, Madrona is persistent and persevering in achieving this goal. He had exerted—and continues to exert—precious time, diplomatic efforts, and gargantuan resources to show to all and sundry that he meant business; that he is serious and sincere in forging unity; and that he will leave no stone unturned in presenting to the Romblon voters this election his argument that “united, we stand; divided, we fall”.
For alone making unity a valuable currency in this coming election, I shall—and the rest of Sibale—vote for Rep. Madrona and his entire provincial ticket.
Sorry, but I had enough of buffoons presenting themselves as alternatives. They could not deliver.
