City Mayors in Action

I CONSIDER the 50th National Executive Board Meeting-Expanded of the League of Cities of the Philippines hosted by the city mayors of Negros Occidental as a declaration of passion in the name of public service. L' Fisher Hotel in Bacolod is the venue and the backdrop is the Masskara Festival.

Our city mayors are just sanely in love. The activities are action-packed. No rain of scorpions can stop the mayors from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao from coming to Negros Occidental to share their gorgeousness in governance and experience vicarious thrills in the flesh-melting Masskara Festival. We hope they don't hesitate as they experience being stranded in the pre-millennial abyss of the Masskara throng.

Mayor Jose Montelibano of Silay provided the warmest welcome by sending the Friends of Tourism-Silay (with best tourism staff to let the visitors experience the cultural sophistication of the Silaynons). The 'Sug-alaw Silaynon' at the airport in Silay was highlighted by the giving of 'Kadungganan leis' bearing the emblem of Silay, the most outstanding tourism-oriented LGU 2012 in the Philippines.

Mayor Montelibano and Mayor Eric Saratan of Talisay instructed their PNP COPs to give priority to the safety of the traveling mayor from the airport to their hotels in Bacolod. A courtesy call was made to Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. Mayor Bing Leonardia prepared a road map for the visiting mayors to reach his Government Center, the Palace of Bacolod. Dinner there was in fashion, romantic and loaded with foliage breathes. You can ask Imogene and Butch.

Before the evening ended, the mayors found themselves stranded in the tourism strip to be electrified by the Electric Masskara presentation. The unimaginable crowd defied the law of curves. Beer was candid as a bear's hug. Camera bearing bugs did not miss the action that was beyond hysteria. In the crowd, there was just a thin red line between beauty and strangeness. The mayors had their early morning sleep to catch up with the 9am registration.

The meeting was serious. Speakers were eloquent and topics were centered on the state of the state, (state of the butts for prolonged sitting) and on fiscal management, Pag-ibig Funds and something pleasant to hear. Those who lacked the sleep, speeches were like visual poetry. Most of the mayors were in their good form-lyrical and majestic. You deserve to be reelected. The meeting had its denouement at 6:00pm and all the mayors ended in their hotel rooms to freshen up.

La Proa 2 provided gastronomic flirtation. Dinner provided a punch in the solar plexus. It was riveting because the invited guests included Gov. Marañon, Vice Gov. Alvarez, Cong. Mirasol, Cong. Alvarez, Cong. Ledesma, Cong. Marañon, Cong. Ferrer and Cong. Benetiz. They were all stars in their own solar system. Those who were there as minor cast had their heads loaded with auteurial illusions. I heard rippling jaws and biceps. That could be fun with everybody's eyes wide shut.

Mayor Eric Saratan facilitated a Fellowship Night with a band performing the hits of the '60s. Some did ballroom dancing while others preferred to be at the tourism strip again to be electrified. Out there, the mayors mingled with the funny, witty, ironic, inventive, smart, global and very drunk. MassKara dancing was unstoppable. Everybody got the power of extreme flatulence.

The morning after was fair. The gray noxious gas from the manokan grills still colored the strip. The mayors made their graceful checkout from their hotels to have the tour at The Ruins in Talisay and had lunch of chicken binacol, grilled squid, beef steak Tagalog, sizzling tangigue, etc. at Natures Village in Talisay. Later, there would be Silay tour en route to the airport. Home Sweet Home.

The board meeting in Negros Occidental is all about those. That was remarkable restraint. Thank you, Negros Occidental city mayors for being magnificent hosts. Estoy realmente agradecido por lo que hiciste.