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Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Mercado: City Council 'an Indian giver'
By Ram Mercado
First Person
THE women took center stage in Pampanga's events last week, starring former senator Loren Legarda, Sasmuan Mayor Lina Bagasina, and two Mabalacat lady councilors who wanted to challenge a veteran campaigner.
National dailies, in fact, focused on women OFWs, pictures of composite joy and despair written on their faces, with continuing stories of rape victims (women, of course), principally "Nicole", and photos of lactating mothers breastfeeding infants in public.
If ever I saw my wife exposing her mammary glands for a pictorial, even, if I bought and paid for in advance. OMG! I would go ballistic. If not, I will have her declared a persona non grata at the provincial board of Pampanga.
But if she is resourceful enough at pulling influential strings, she can reverse the Resolution and we can go on happily ever.
Getting to be Adopted Daughter of Pampanga is quite difficult, but losing the honor after a week of its conferment is cruel. The same people who gave her the honor were the same ones who took it away. OMG!
It was not the fault of the losing candidate for vice president, if she touched on her electoral protest during a press interview. Someone asked her about the status of her protest. She replied that winner Noli de Castro had some 800,000-vote lead over her nationwide, with 400,000 of this coming from Pampanga where, she explained, she topped the previous senatorial elections in the province.
In truth, Loren added that she was prevailed upon and was convinced, that opening the ballot boxes from Pampanga was expensive, with the results uncertain. She was agreeable to the idea, she admitted to the reality of it.
For all I care, Vice President de Castro would have won a half-million votes more than Ms. Legarda in the province, but it does not change the fact that the former senator contributed infrastructure projects worth over P300 million in our communities. Quite a remarkable deed.
It was for that reason that Board Member Aurelio Gonzalez, explained in his remarks, that the conferment was given the lady. Even if she were given a dozen awards more by the provincial government, this would not alter the electoral count, nor would determine the outcome of her protest.
Ms. Legarda was not humiliated by the provincial board reversing its declaration and nullifying the public ceremony for the honor. Other sectors may jubilate over the distasteful retrieval, so proudly and solemnly given, but it reflects negatively on our character as a people.
Senator Richard Gordon, when he was Olongapo City mayor, in an exuberant but outrageous description of regional ethnic values, characterized the Kapampangan as "traydor." Then Pampanga Governor Estelito F. Mendoza swiftly reacted and lambasted Gordon's barefaced insolence and undignified remark. Gordon was forthwith declared persona non grata by the Angeles City Government.
I admire Dong Gonzales for his lonely stand as single oppositor to the withdrawal of the Resolution. We Pampangos should be known for our courageous convictions, that we can stand on our words, and uphold the integrity of our signature in official documents.
The City Council has become like the Indian giver who takes back what he gave when the going gets tough. OMG!
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Losing PlOO,OOO in cash in a rundown restaurant is not news. But when a respected leader like Mayor Lina Bagasina of Sasmuan lost her 8800 model Nokia cell phone, and at the famous Holiday Inn Clark, this is news. Readers wonder how a municipal mayor from a low class municipality (in revenue) can afford a P5O,OOO mobile phone. Why, Mayor Lina is one of Pampanga's wealthiest women, and she can afford to pay the town's annual budget with her single account! Unknown to many, Sasmuan 's "Cinderella Girl" is president (on leave) of Front Forwarders, one of the five biggest freight/cargo forwarding firms in the country. The expensive cell phone is her service provider in managing and directing her firm's branches in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao.
She is not very hurt by the loss of her phone inside Holiday Inn Clark, apparently swiped by a suspect worker there when Lina went briefly outside the coffee shop to greet Board Members Baby Pineda and Liberty Lim, in the company of her two colleagues. When the trio returned to their table the cell phone vanished into the thin air, and nobody, not even the waiters who went near the mayor's table reported it to the hotel.
We have heard of continuous complaints even at the Holiday's parking area, cars and sports vehicles were broken into, compartments pilfered, and valuables stolen.
"The reputation of a world-class hotel is at stake here," the Mayor said, noting how visitors and tourists easily spread rumors and actual theft cases in the posh institution.
* * * * *
Two lady members of the local Municipal Council will challenge former councilor now Mabalacat vice mayor Cris Garbo for the certain single seat at the Provincial Board (PB) to be vacated by Board Member Pros Lagman who is going back to his old post as vice mayor of the prosperous town.
The other seat is conceded by 1st district voters to popular Jaycee senator, businessman realtor, public servant, incumbent board member Tars Halili. Take a bow, Tars!
Councilor Lisa Pineda, who is being bankrolled by her wealthy husband Emil Pineda, is only on her 2nd term but she decided to contest an PB seat, along with Councilor Cherry Manalo, who commands formidable following as former SK (youth) president, now on her last term in the council.
Ms. Pineda's advocacies include women's empowerment, social work, and children's welfare. Ms. Manalo pledges to mobilize youth power in communities for productivity, family welfare, and good citizenship.
The two women are outstanding achievers in Mabalacat, tutored in public service by Mayor Boking Morales, now addressed as the "future mayor of the City of Mabalacat," according to publicist Joey Pavia, the duo's PR man.
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One of the four original Parliamentarians from Pampanga, celebrated lawyer Ricardo Sagmit, observes his 65th birthday Sunday, August 13 at the high-class Teresa Function Hall in Angeles City. Atty. Sagmit leads Kapampangan hotshot lawyers today, known in the past as "de campanilla". I convey the greetings of mutual friends, members of the legal profession, officers of the Bench and judges, business leaders and political figures who wish the former ConCon delegate a long, productive and happy life.
His admirers say Ric is "expensive" to retain, but his services, talent and courtroom skills are top of the line, with a long, long line of winning cases here and in Metro Manila.
(August 9, 2006 issue)
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