JDV, the best speaker RP has produced yet

By Gonzalo Duque

AFTER his stirring speech before the Lyceum Northwestern University graduates last Tuesday, I could now say, without fear of contradiction, that this man who beat me in two congressional races in the past is a national leader destined.

Yes, Speaker Joe is not perfect; he has his lapses in judgment, he promises a lot, he is a demagogue at times; but  no he never badmouths his political foes (which bespeaks of fine breeding), and he speaks as though his plans could be done at the click of a finger.

But the negative view is not how one evaluates or estimates a man; we must view him from a larger perspective. What are his thoughts about the world, about the nation, about man, about things?

Well, I have written some nasty things about him in this column, side by side with nice, good and sometimes lavish praises about him.

The question rises: Can anyone match his persona from amongst   those around us? Can anyone speak like him with and among world leaders including President Bush as his audience? Even President Gloria is amazed by JdV’s eloquence and power of articulation.

Recently, he said that under his watch, Congress has given education the highest budgetary allocation. He shares the concern that our local students are still lagging behind with less than 50 percent passing the National Career Aptitude Exams.

The Speaker has assured me he will refocus his efforts to realize the highest dream of Filipinos – quality education – which, I strongly believe, will solve all the problems of the country. With his brains, JDV is in a position to do this, formulate creative strategies and ideas in actualizing quality education.  He should head the education committee in the next congress for the attainment of this vision.

This is one great chance for all Pangasinenses and Filipinos to unite for the common good.  And it is with this that he can, in my humble view, leave a legacy, a lasting legacy for himself and his country.

The time, the precious hours spent for vacillation in regard to this man should be a thing of the past.

Many friends and relatives who have regarded him with suspicion on account of the failed constitutional change now view him with understanding. The man is in a hurry. Who is not, with our country still locked at rock bottom of the economic ladder?

I feel sentimental about this because Manong Joe was my late father’s friend and political ally. They also clashed on issues and approaches, but have remained respectful of each other. When we fought, I got the best tacticians including those honed in San Tsu’s   theorems and   hypotheses, but he won, and I conceded in all humility.

Like his namesake, Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero who believed that only through education will the Philippines rise again, Manong Joe will make of the speakership one more great chance for the country to rise higher, beyond the reach of those who would bring it down by sheer conceit or ill will.  Was he not scholarship oriented?  My  friend Jun Velasco, his co-founder of the now famous De Venecia  Scholarship Foundation,  confided to me that the program came from the bowels of  the student movement in the 60’s when in a dimly lit corner in congress the two guys, Joe and Jun,  hammered out a program that will remove the cobwebs from the minds of men.

Scholarship – so it’s here that we find a consensus, a meeting of minds and faith, so that the nation would catapult to the stars.

Let’s give him the vote.  So he will finish the job and rank the country at par with or if possible, ahead of our Asian neighbors.

As a starter, the speaker assured me he would go out of his way to modernize the Dagupan City National High School. No less than older brother, Oscar de Venecia, city high alumnus, has given a beautiful interview with the DCNHS Alumni magazine of his futuristic city high vision. With Joe de V still at the helm of the House, the visualized modern city high will be realized. And the West Central Elementary School will not be far behind. He has started it already with l0 new, modern rooms.

Let’s give him another room in the House to implement these tall dreams, shan’t we? 

*        *         *

On May l, the biggest day in Pangasinan, our common folk will be treated to a whole day cycling classic with Congressman Butch Pichay, a candidate for senator, as sponsor.

   Race director told me he and Pichay had agreed on the project. Butch, just like many of us, loves cycling. I heard from Joel Balolong that Pichay was in the magic l2 of the surveys in Northern Luzon. He, whose father is from Magsingal, Ilocos Sur, and my kin Chavit Singson, are expected to dispute the highest votes from Ilocandia.

When I was young, I didn’t miss a day during the Tour of Luzon races to read the Manila Times, then the most read paper, to see who was leading.  It’s an exciting event, and our province has produced the best cyclist leaders of all time in the country.

Magaling pumili si Butch ng popularity gimik a. 

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/playing-with-fire/)

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