Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Ariola: I Still Walk the Line By Jose Paolo Ariola A class act
WELL, after all the accusations and counter-accusations had been thrown at each other, I must doff my hat to hizzoner, Mayor Bing Leonardia and Atty. Vic Sabornay for the class act that they both did last Friday evening by heeding the call of his Eminence, Bishop Vicente Navarra, to personally come to the conference table and agree to a compromise settlement thereby averting what could have been a dark (pun intended) day in the annals of Bacolod City.
It surely took a lot of gumption for both executives to set aside personal pride and prejudice for the greater interests of the good people of this city. Now that is what I call a classic act of statesmanship.
How often has it been said that what distinguishes a statesman from a mere politician is that, while the latter thinks only of his own selfish interests in all his undertakings, the former thinks of the greater welfare of his constituents. The standoff between City Hall and Ceneco again brought to the fore the best and worst in the lead players of that farce. And the entire city watched with bated breath as events began to unfold while waiting anxiously what would happen next as the contending parties were at loggerheads in a battle of wits - a "cat-and-mouse" game with City Hall and Ceneco trying to outdo each other, as in, "okay-try-to-beat-this." First, it was Ceneco, which drew first blood by cutting the electrical connection of the city's vital installations.
Not to be outdone, City hall responded by revoking Ceneco's business permit and, for the coup d' grace, barricaded Ceneco's head office at Gonzaga-Mabini Streets with padlocks and a garbage truck. Talk about a show of brute force.
Yet in the din of all the tirades coming from both sides, this walker couldn't help but notice that it was providential that Leonardia and Sabornay showed their true mettle in the art of diplomacy by personally going to the Bishop's House sans their usual kibitzers and acolytes. Had they sent their usual representatives, then the controversy might have had a different ending. If we will recall, a similar incident occurred at Barangay Felisa a few months ago when residents of the area tried to block the city's garbage trucks from entering the dumpsite. The residents then were demanding to talk with the Mayor about the garbage problem. But instead of going there personally to diffuse the situation, he sent his hatchet men to deal with the residents in a massive display of brute force. The result is now history. Of course, City Hall's men won that round. How could they lose? Those hapless residents of the area were no match against the ruffians sent by City Hall to quell the uprising. But this time around, the other contending party was by no means a patsy. At the onset, City Hall's response was swift and clear. And how. Yet while they were successful in blocking Ceneco's office with padlocks and a garbage dumptruck (yup, Nandit, it was a dumpster they put right in front of the main door). Round Two seemed like in the bag for City Hall once again. But come to think of it, had not the Good Bishop intervened or, had Ceneco remained intransigent as well, and pulled the electrical plug even for a just a day or two, just imagine what would have happened to the City of Smiles without electricity. I shudder even in just the thought of such an eventuality.
Indeed, Divine Providence works in mysterious ways. By attending to this imbroglio personally, Mayor Leonardia showed to all and sundry that, if he chooses to do so, he's got the stuff to be a statesman and political will to boot. While on the other hand, Atty. Sabornay likewise demonstrated that he's got diplomatic savvy as well. As for His Eminence Bishop Navarra, what else is there for us to say? We should thank the heavens that we've got a Shepherd who will not allow his entire flock to be vandalized by a pack of selfish wolves who want to bring this beloved city of ours to the dumps. Way to go, guys! And please, enough of this bullying thing.
