Punchline
Wanted: True reformists
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
FINALLY, many see the light at the end of the tunnel for Dagupan and the province…the assumption of the mayoralty office by Ms. Belen T. Fernandez boosted by the reelection of Cong. Gina de V, and the reelection of Guv Spines!
The long, bruising political battle for good governance in the city has born fruit. The days of “value-engineering” as the official cover for corruption in the city is finally over, and hopefully, the surviving Judas 9 in the city council will finally reform and make amends by being responsible fiscalizers for the people, not as obstructionists as Lim loyalists! I note that they showed up at the installation ceremonies organized by Mayor Belen so that has earned them a brownie point as statesmen.
To help set the tone for true reforms and reconciliation, this corner will also start a new chapter. We will drop the moniker “Judas 9” beginning with their first session and allow the Lim loyalists all the opportunities to remake themselves, or enough rope to hang themselves as corrupt politicos. We will leave it to VM Brian Lim, Councilors Jess Canto, Karlos Reyna, Alvin Coquia, Red Erfe-Mejia, Emong Vallejos and Chester Gonzales to decide whether their label as “Judas” by their constituents should stick or henceforth be known as genuine reformists. The choice is theirs.
I also join the thousands out there in their prayer that the partnership between Ms Fernandez and Cong. Manay Gina de Venecia will be as durable as they make it today. Between the two no-nonsense lady public servants, Dagupan can be assured of an unprecedented economic progress in the three years, untainted by any sign of corruption. With Mama Mary as their guide and patroness, I don’t see them failing their constituents at anytime.
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ADDED LEGACY. As a Pangasinense, I, too, feel relieved that Guv Spines survived the political onslaught that he was made to bear before and during the campaign. He has an unfinished business in the province and he needs the maximum three terms to fully realize the vision he promised us.
Guv Spines was off to a good start in spite of charges about his involvement in jueteng operations in the province early on. I do hope that he realizes that while evidence of his involvement in jueteng (and jai-teng) would be difficult to prove, public perception can easily erode the legitimacy of his envisioned legacy.
As a last termer, the best added legacy yet that he can earn is to truly make Pangasinan the safest province in the country by making it not only drug-free but free from illegal gambling! Both will ensure a healthy, well-educated generation, steeped in good moral values and inspired by a proud culture – all made possible by the vision of Guv Spines!
I am certain all Pangasinenses who want the best future for their children and grandchildren would want such a legacy for Guv Spines. Needless to say, he can’t accomplish all by himself. He will need the commitment and dedication of the board members, the mayors, the PNP and other law enforcement agencies to help him realize this vision. What’s needed of him is to set the example and demonstrate that he has the political will.
Here’s to a Guv Spines legacy that will set the foundation for a new, proud generation of Pangasinenses!
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FATHER’S SON OR MOTHER’S SON? I was given a copy of the speech of Vice Mayor Brian Lim during his exclusive installation last week before Senator-elect JV Ejercito Estrada.
Perhaps it is to be expected that he would be of the same mold as his mayor-father Benjie but it was disappointing to see that he merely mouthed his father’s vision and thoughts, not his own. It’s an indication that he has not learned to be his own man. From what I’ve read, VM Brian has a lot to prove that he would be less likely or, God forbid, more likely like his father. He still appears like a spoon-fed confused kid without a protective father by his side. Too soon to expect too much? Perhaps.
The only part in his speech that sounded true and honest about himself is the part that read: “To my mother, you have always been the rock of this family through thick and thin. You are the one that takes the brunt of the misadventures of your two boys in the world of politics. And it takes a very special kind of person to be able to put up with my father and I. Thank you and I love you.” Well said by a frank and doting son. And I share his view about her mother (Celia), indeed a protective loving mother, and a faithful and loyal partner to her husband, to a fault!
For the city’s sake, his mother’s sake, and his own, I pray VM Brian will finally learn to be like his mother, a gentle, humble, strong person who was raised by parents that imbibed the values of humility, honesty and hard work in their children. If I’m not mistaken, it was the same set of values that made an ambitious Benjie Lim determined to make a life with a Celia Chua!
My instincts say VM Brian can prove to be a much better politician than his dad but only if he learns soon enough that nothing is permanent in this life, that money is not everything but integrity is everything. He can start by stop-promoting and defending the BSL hospital, the MC Adore sale and other “value-engineering projects” that will further bleed the city dry. Instead, he can be the lead statesman of the minority who works with the present and for the future, not the past. He can inspire his followers by embracing the Tuwid na Daan in every sense, not merely pay lip service to it.
Let’s see if VM Brian is made of sterner stuff.
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LOVING AND HATING. Who else would make political reconciliation happen but Archbishop Soc Villegas?
He told the new majority in Dagupan officialdom to “love the opposition” a bidding that would not be difficult for Mayor Belen to do. She’s been there and knows how it feels to be treated and pushed around as part of a minority out to fiscalize the majority. To fiscalize is a mandated role of the minority and therefore should not be taken as a personal affront by the majority. I’m almost certain Mayor Belen had wished the archbishop had aired his bidding earlier.
Given what the city had been through, and the lessons learned, perhaps a minor qualification of the archbishop’s appeal is in order. With his indulgence, I dare say: “Love the opposition; hate the corrupt politician!” (I hope I don’t go to hell for advocating this).
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LONG WAIT. The frustrated residents of Calasiao are hoping that the ruling Macanlalay family in their town are finally reading the signs on the wall – that their continued rule will be determined by their long wait to see the Villamil Bridge completed.
The accountability for the off-and-on construction activity on the bridge is now squarely placed on son-Mayor-and- father-Vice Mayor Macanlalay tandem. If the bridge isn’t completed by end 2013, their constituents will no longer take the long wait lightly. The alibi that it’s the DPWH’s contractor that’s to blame will not be acceptable. Read your constituents’ lips, Mayor Mark Roy!
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HAPPY AND SAD. Our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Nene Villaflor, commander in chief of Dr. Viven Villaflor, who was recently elected national president of the Inner Wheel Club of the Philippines, beat that! (Hubby Viven could only make president of the Rotary Club of Dagupan but one of the best, I must say!)….. I am truly saddened by the news that former city vice mayor and councilor Louie Catubig passed away in his home, after painfully battling his cancer in the last few months. I remember Louie as the “articulate, simpatico, bright politico” of the 60s who everyone thought would make a good mayor someday but who later chose to be a businessman. Three months ago, he called encouraging me to keep writing about the venalities in the city hall. He will be missed. He was the best mayor we never had.
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