Playing with Fire
Spines as super organizer
By Gonzalo Duque
WHAT will go down in the books as the best National Games or Palarong Pambansa held ever in the country (are we biased) — hosting and the gymnastics itself — will be a crowning glory of the province.
Sorry if we sound like Butch Velasco or one of those Governor Spines’ rah rah boys, but credit should be given where it is due.
Like what someone said during the media night at the Sison auditorium (sorry, folks if you missed our physical presence, we were grounded in Manila then). Palaro’s slam-bang success was promptly due to the governor’s leadership.
Well, yes, we factor in the Pangasinenses’ impressive show of unity and cooperation, but even that was to be credited to the determined hand that brought it about.
We’ve been studying the guy’s leadership style, for he seems to be doing things in a gamely manner, relaxed, easy does it, and for a while, if it were not only for some limitations like not being born with superstar parents, politically, just like President Pnoy, our diminutive guv’nor could be a successful president of the nation.
Observing him closely, we saw one element that has made him, as Peter Drucker would word it, an effective executive and that is his “focused leadership.”
For Spines is not superman; he is puny physically; he is not even an intellectual genius, he is none of the things which are insurance for a great leader. But in the short period that he has been governor, even his detractors admire him secretly. They despise him outwardly, but they wish they had his skills of governing a big province.
Now the province is reaping laurel after laurel, accolade after accolade, from every nook and cranny of the country and of the world. A balikbayan who frequented the White House in Washington couldn’t help but pour out his genuine admiration for the province’s leadership. From sleeping giant to an awakened giant, all because of this former cop who wouldn’t conceal his raw humor about “babakeses” which upon reflection merely showed his contempt for lousiness, mediocrity, sloppiness and all that crap.
Journalists from other provinces who were here to cover the Palaro were amazed by the preparedness of the province, the executive and sports committee; they saw every nice thing that we have lately produced. Singa la mankakampanya ya man presidente, ta impasikat toy agawaan to. Wala met lanti ilastog to, so let’s give it to him.
Ahrrmmm.. we are writing like this not because we want to have Spines do something for us. No, not at all, our Pangasinan history book being undertaken by our committee headed by Dr. Perla E. Legaspi is 99 percent finished. Tama na yong oportunidad na ibinigay ng ating gobernador so that we can give our provincemates their soul, because it is a given that when you do not know your past, you’d feel like you were Confucius, your life would be “antalosable,” angapoy genuine ya liket, whereas if you know exactly where you came from, your present and your future steps, you’d feel joyous, meaningful, powerful.
We’re just putting it on record, especially when many visitors, sportsmen from other places and tourists are in town, that the grand show of preparedness in sports tourism is due to our leader in the province. Balet no tawagen to tayo ya pankapien ta agostoan toyay kolum tayo o di ontikyab tayon tampol ed Urduja ha ha!
Make a bow, friend and cumpadre. You did it again.
* * * *
In Dagupan, the general public is uneasy with the city government’s track of making short cuts involving buy and sell deals.
The MC Adore sale (BSL says not yet consummated) has put our public officials in sharp public scrutiny. Seems Mayor Benjie is simply too clever for Vice Mayor Belen and all the councilors and the media (except the Punch) as to be able to dangle the defunct hotel, now being resurrected to be sold for an underpriced P68 million and getting away with it.
The suspicion is that Belen’s clowncilors and onor-onor converts to Mayor Lim are after all kwan pala, “buyable,” “saliwabel.” Hmm, ciopa tay andi, kwanyo?
We sympathize with Belen because she was playing fair and square, relying on the good old values of political fair play, check and balance, only to end up in disappointment, because Benjie was working on her teammates’ weakness.
Anent our last column on unappreciated city consultant promo bono on fishery matters Apring Dawana, we heard that former Mayor Al Fernandez and Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, both fishpond owners, have registered with his Fishpond owners, operators group. Nayari met manaya yay kabandaan mi nen Kapitan Jake Reyes ed Tapuac. Ay, isali yo met si Mayor Benjie ta wala ray angkakabaleg ya pokok to!
Ay singa la Scarborough Shoal salo tay asosasyon yo?
Take cover!
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