Monday, January 08, 2007 San Pedro: The King and the Kingmakers By Art San Pedro Synthesis
THERE are many Kapampangans who believe that Leon Guerrero will not hesitate to launch a comeback in Pampanga even at the expense of his Senate seat and ambition to be mayor of Makati City if Pampanga is endangered.
Only a few months ago, Governor Mark Lapid, son of Senator Lito Lapid, looks so comfortable in his seat because of the absence of a formidable challenger.
Then all of a sudden, from nowhere, someone least expected to aspire for governor is now a banner in the news pages. I am referring to Senior Board Member Lilia "Baby" Pineda whose family is perceived to be partly instrumental for the victory of Mark Lapid in 2004.
One of the biggest blunders of the youthful governor is that power crept into his mind too early too soon. Madaling nalasing sa kapangyarihan. Typical of all leaders, he lost his grip of the situation in Pampanga. He does not give his governance quality time. There is hardly institutional planning at the Capitol. He allows his subordinates to go scot-free in their offices because of lack of supervision. Our finances are sleeping.
The image that Mark Lapid cultivated is that of a young man more preoccupied with movie making and courting leading ladies romantically linked to him. While serious governors almost kill themselves attending to the functions of their offices, Mark Lapid is different in the sense that he is out of focus. It would seem that what matters most is popularity because it is the passport to victory.
But how about development that cannot be served by popularity alone?
It is said that you cannot serve two masters at the same time. One of the lessons that Mark must learn is that he cannot be an effective governor if he cares more of his popularity. In a manner of speaking, Mark Lapid believes in shortcuts. But at the end of the day, Governor Mark will wake up and realize that his plan will backfire because he is bereft of sincerity. Sawa na sa kaplastikan ang mga Kapampangan!
If Mark Lapid studies his lessons and devotes seriousness in his governance, he would eventually realize that his job as governor is loaded with responsibility that necessitates enormous time. There is hardly time for relaxation. Much of his time is needed to initiate reforms at the Capitol, supervision of officials and employees, and charting fiscal reforms to pump prime the sleeping coffers of the province.
He also needs quality time linking and networking with various government offices, foundations and other non-government organizations to respond to the enormous needs of the province. In a scale of one to ten, I would give Mark Lapid a failing grade for ineffective governance. If he does not understand the duties and functions attached to his office, he must read the New Local Government Code. Another option is to regularly convene a meeting with his department heads on a weekly basis for him to be on top of the situation.
Another alternative is to convene the provincial development council so that even local chief executives can participate in the planning and at the same time air their grievances. Almost three years in the office, the youthful governor seems to be detached with the reality that the provincial development council is such an important forum.
There is a public perception in Pampanga that the powerful Pineda family in Lubao is greatly responsible for making Mark Lapid a "King" in 2004. And if the direction of the wind would not change, we see the King and the King makers collide in 2007 for the top provincial post. I believe that the Pinedas of Lubao are very capable politically and financially to mount such a serious challenge in 2007. The bigger question is, "Will Leon Guerrero agree to lose Pampanga?"
There are those who believe that the last ace in the sleeves of Leon Guerrero will be used in 2007 just to save Pampanga. What are his options? He may use his powerful Senate seat to pressure President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to make Mark Lapid the official and unopposed candidate of the Lakas NUCD. There are also analysts who believe that if Leon Guerrero has to talk with the President in order to save Mark Lapid, he would not hesitate to do so. Pampanga needs not only power for the Lapids but also fortune. There are also many surrogates gravitating around the Capitol who hardly have knowledge about governance. The sad part of the story is that they have their eyes trained on the juicy contracts at the Capitol.
These surrogates masquerading as contractors and semi-contractors have not done anything good for the province. With the blessings and patronage of some provincial officials, these surrogates have raided the coffers of the province with impunity. Do these surrogates have loyalty to the Lapids? The answer is no. They are gravitating around the Capitol not really to serve the needs of the province but to serve their narrow and vested interests from the "tambakan", infrastructure and construction.
I was told by highly reliable sources that they are making a killing at the Capitol. They have made the province as their milking cow. This is not surprising. In fact if fortunes would change in 2007, these same groups of businessmen would be present also on the inaugural of the new governor. The most recent year-end activity in Lubao where a multitude of political leaders in Porac were invited should be reason enough for the Lapids to push the panic button. Political sorties organized by the Lapids are sorely missing in attendance and not even the latest movie of the Lapids can fare with the meetings organized by the Pinedas. Does this mean that the popularity of the Lapids in Pampanga is beginning to crumble? From all indications, there is now a trend in Pampanga. Come the 2007 local elections, Pampanga might yet witness a changing of the guards. The Lapids have inhabited the Capitol for almost 12 years and many Kapampangans are asking for a change.
Why did this happen? Let us face it... the Lapids are the latest showroom models of political dynasties. Imagine the father is a senator while the son is a governor. I heard that another son of the Lapids is being groomed also to run for a public office this coming election.
I pity Mark Lapid in the sense that he is ill advised and chose the wrong model. Mark would have been more effective had he chosen to be himself and not somebody else. Though he is young, I am sure like any other idealistic man he has good plans for the province. But all these plans crumbled because of the temptations of power and popularity. Perhaps, Mark can ask himself if he is indeed ripe for the picking as governor of Pampanga. If he himself fails and has not done so much, he must give chance to the rest.
