SOPA observations

By Eva C. Visperas 

I arrived early because the invitation said the State of the Province Address (SOPA) of Governor Victor Agbayani will be at 8:00 a.m. Friday.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan session, where the governor reads his SOPA, actually started at 8:58 a.m. First came several minutes of discussion. Then the governor, for the first in his entire nine years as head of the province, was escorted not just by one or two board members but by the entire members of the board.

Maybe that was part of giving honors to a graduating governor, I suppose.

I told my seatmates that as I have observed in the past, there will only be a few, or a maximum of 10 out of 48 Pangasinan mayors, who would attend.

My guess was right. Only Mangaldan Mayor Herminio Romero, Manaoag Mayor Napoleon Sales and Pozorrubio Mayor Artemio Chan were there to listen to the governor’s address. Oh, well, maybe the others were very busy with their own schedules or were not expecting anything that would benefit them or their constituents. Nonetheless, I checked whether they were invited. Yes, they received their invitations.

Good thing the session hall was nonetheless full packed. Thanks to the provincial government’s department heads, PNP officers led by Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, Education officials like Supt. Alma Ruby Torio, the media, among other employees who crowded the area.

Also, as in past SOPAs, the centerpiece of the governor’s  speech was the accomplishments he made in communal irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads, population program, ho hummmm, hummmm, hummmm, etc. One commentator said, “It’s always the same thing.”

Isu met lang nga isu, as Ilocanos put it.

I recorded the three times he was applauded during his speech. Oh, by the way, I observed that unlike President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address, our governor lacked a cheering squad.

Practically no one initiated an applause and when someone did, the applause was not a loud one. Makapuy, makalna, singa ra aga angalmusal.

Simply put, it’s either they appreciated what the governor said but were just too lazy to applaud him, or they were used to hearing those same lines for the past nine years.

In the State of the Nation Address (SONA), which I attend regularly, administration allies or paid cheering squads whatever you want to call them, always give Arroyo a thundering applause. So, if you watch the SONA on TV, the President is seen well- applauded with matching standing ovation.

During his SOPA, excluding the intro and extro, most applauded the governor were the success of his irrigation programs, another on family planning and the last one for the real property issues.

I’m sure readers can read the governor’s report in this issue as one of the top news stories.

Be the judge.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/business-log/)

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