Think about it
Restore Bani’s idyllic beauty, vitality
By Jun Velasco
“Beautiful is the earth, it sings.”—Rabindaranath Tagore
BANI in our mind is a paradise. No, not exactly, not anymore.
Because today based on the nasty political exchange between Mayor Marcelo Navarro Jr., and Vice Mayor Filipina Rivera, our paradise-vision of proverbial Bani is turning to be ugly. Just like a dirty, heluva snake pit that smells of money commissions in government contracts.
We hold Mayor Navarro in high esteem, his image shaped by his genial company at the Philippine Military Academy. Many of them are now successful leaders of government and many private corporations.
Our idea of Cel, as he is fondly called, is also inspired by his older brother Gabriel, also a former Bani mayor, who made a name in environment as sine qua non to dynamic governance.
Both Cel and Gabriel took after their late father, former Mayor Marcelo Navarro Sr.
By the way, you’d enjoy this real story. Our unforgettable experience with the late Mayor Navarro, Cel’s namesake father, who had ruled the town for decades.
One day in l992 when then Governor Oscar Orbos, prime Bani pride, couldn’t make it to the Bani Association in Los Angeles, we – on his request – made a side trip from New York to L.A. We were fetched from the airport by his macho cousins Mel and Nards Castelo.
Proceeding to Hyatt, we were delighted by the big Bani Fil-Ams who were nattily clad with visions of an all-night dancing. We met Mayor Navarro there, whom we requested to include in his speech Double O’s felicitations to his Bani-mates.
The old man begged off. He said he too, had a part in the program.
The beautiful and handsome Bani folk — all in party dress — were itching to dance. The hall was “inviting.” Mel and Nards kept pouring Martel cognac into our glasses, Mayor Navarro’s and ours.
Came his turn to speak. The mayor was in his elements because he delivered not an after dinner speech, but a political campaign speech. He was lustily applauded… the speech lasted an hour.
Sensing trouble, Mel handed us a glass of water and begged that we give it to the mayor with a plea to end his speech and give way to dancing. At the back of the rostrum we touched him on the shoulder, whispered, “Tata, labay da lay onsayaw.”
Turning to us, he protested: “Anto ka, don’t you see them continuously clapping?” It probably took him another hour to finish his speech.
We thought Mayor Navarro who we consider as Bani’s contemporary leader of the 21st century, has a commanding view of the town’s integrated development; he could easily do a fatherly act by engaging his critics – dominated by pretty ladies – to something like a bonfire session and re-chart Bani’s come-from-behind jump to the town’s fullest development. He can easily do it.
His habitat project which no less than President Noynoy visited and commended, the great infra and development projects begun by his brother and late father and his new vision of a Paradise Regained can be easily realized under him. We find his recall move against the opposition members of the municipal council an overkill. It doesn’t reflect a Navarro leadership vintage. The Navarros are gallant politicians.
After all, his critics’ act – a counter recall – was not anti mayor strictly, as Councilor Gwen Palafox Yamamoto, a UP Diliman-bred political scientist, would put it.
Listen to Gwen: “We are simply guarding the people’s money, and Mayor Navarro should welcome it and for having sharp-eyed public officials.’
Our group has remained silent, enduring every low blow and all kinds of tricks and attacks some bordering on the personal…. because we love our town so much.”
She says she dreams of the day when in our town “every transaction is in order and untainted by corruption. We have been waiting for decades to have a local government that is not corrupt, is transparent and fair. We at the SB want a local government that guarantees every cent paid by the people spent for the men and women who have worked tirelessly to pay their dues.”
We are idealists and we know that the Sanggunian Bayan is free to vote for whatever it stands for in a democracy.” End of Councilor Gewn’s political thesis.
Isn’t that a fine, principled, and great stand by a town councilor?
Mayor Navarro, you have a gold mine in your Sanggunian stable.
If Vice Mayor Rivera and the opposition councilors are not prime assets in your administration, we don’t know the definition of model public officials.
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