Think about it
Meet Shalani Soledad, Noynoy’s girlfriend
By Jun Velasco
WE noticed that Police Director Percival Barba’s face is beaming these days.
He has somewhat placated the critics of the barangay captains’ shotguns with his much celebrated recall order.
He is jubilant with the assignment of a fellow GI (Genuine Ilocano) at the helm of the region. Chief Superintendent Constante Azares, or Jumboy, is his provincemate in Ilocos Sur. An old pal, Jumboy is a member of the Rotary club of Metro Cubao.
The last time we did Rotary work together was when our club hosted a district assembly with San Fabian’s Romy Cacas as club president, then PNP chief Art Lomibao as district assembly chairman, and Valenzuela District Director Pol Bataoil, as Distas peace and order chair.
Percy Barba feels that with Jumboy in town, peace and order in the region is in good hands. Timely, what with the May elections less than 4 months away. His directives on the gun ban and the proper detail of security officers to politicians have been well received.
* * *
Let’s thank the family of the late former Dagupan City councilor Antonio de Venecia, older brother of congressman Jose de Venecia Jr., for bringing to the city the alluring girlfriend of Senator Noynoy Aquino III.
Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani S. Soledad could be mistaken for Marian Rivera or Lucy Torres for her physical attributes. But she is a good politician with well-sculpted phrases to the delight of media men the likes of Ding Micua, broadcaster Joel Balolong, the GMA and ABS-CBN coverage teams who interviewed her.
She answered personal questions like, “why did you like Noynoy?” and “how does it feel to be a future first lady?” with ease and poise.
The De Venecia family led by come-backing councilor Alex and aborted congressional candidate Solo, husband and wife Dale and Rosette Cabrera were Shalani’s genial hosts. She joined the De Venecia family mark the first year death anniversary of the late Tony de Venecia.
Lani projected Noynoy as the best representative of his departed parents, Ninoy and Cory, to carry on their principled politics the country needs badly at this time. Her choice of Noynoy as her boyfriend (and future husband) was based, she said, on his character — honest, true and nation-centered. One thing they have in common, she intimated, was their public philosophy — render public service in the best way possible.
The media and politicians like board member candidate Wilson de Vera who hobnobbed with her in believed that the more Shalani was exposed to the public, the brighter Noynoy’s chances of winning the presidency would be. Shalani is more effective than Kris in campaigning for Noynoy, they said.
* * *
Governor Amado Espino Jr. obviously is not given to the backslapping ways of politicians. He is straight-talking, brutally frank but warm. What compensates for his military persona is his much talked about performance as chief executive of Pangasinan. Capitol visitors read with gusto, the province’s newsletter screaming the province’s being the No.1 in the country. But many are impressed by the array of impact projects topped by the conversion of the capitol and surroundings Espino has done in three years.
They fell in love with the handsome Capitol surroundings. Let’s concede that the new look there is a masterstroke in performance and public relations.
In health care, the province boasts of the renovated public hospitals and multi-million dialysis center in San Carlos City.
What come backing Gov. Victor Agbayani is doing now — with not much drama though — is highlight what his camp claims to be the general public’s negative reception of the shotguns.
They are also refocusing the 6 decades of the Agbayanis’ (the late former Governor Aguedo’s and Victor’s) rice production and infrastructure feats, but they have failed to fire the public imagination.
The new governor has set a performance standard that is hard to match by any provincial executive given the size of Pangasinan.
