From his cameo role as vice governor to former Pampanga governor now Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Mikey has metamorphosed from a carefree and fun-loving new kid on the block into a responsible and respectable persona with his political maturity and newfound wisdom.
His joie de vivre is intact, now subdued, still articulate but cautious, and has discarded, it seems his high-five gestures, a trademark of the young.
He moves around here with his old “barkada” like trusted aide Bingbong Lingat and Paolo Hizon, young bucks his age but he commands solid respect among local executives who are years his senior, gaining stature and esteem with the years.
In a meeting with local columnists, Rep. Arroyo took the cudgels for Governor Eddie Panlilio, defended his governance style, and urged party mates and provincial officials to let the priest perform his job in peace.
The congressman, as self-appointed troubleshooter, asked certain board members to give the new Gov a chance to prove himself and not to expect “perfect” work from him. “The task of governing is beset with difficulties with various challenges occurring daily and simultaneously,” he said.
Mikey explains that high collection figures cannot be sustained with regularity because of variables including market forces, the weather, road conditions, supply and demand.
He believes that when you help anyone, in whatever field, and unless there is an agreement to the contrary, there should not be any expectation of whatever form or kind from the receiver. Otherwise you are not helping but investing, he added.
As chairman of the House committee on energy, Mikey is deeply concerned about the state of power cooperatives citing one such local problem Coop with its unresolved unrest and financial woes.
I see Mikey as the President’s political arm here. He is doing a whip’s role with carrots in one hand and a stick on the other. By moving quite a lot around the province, which he did not do in deference to the Lapids who were intrigued by his moves at that time, Mikey has been the subject of the political rumor mill, a perpetual machine, if there is one already invented locally.
Is he interested in the governorship? He blames me for that canard, “Si Cong Ram talaga, noong vice governor pa ako ‘yan na ang laging sinusulat.” I used to reply that after high school, the next step is almost always the college.
This wild hypothesis had bothered and intrigued the Lapid camp, and it came to a point where then governor Mark and Rep. Mikey avoided appearing in the same forum at the same time. Upon advice, Mikey limited his visibility only to his district constituents to soothe ruffled feelings. Now he moves about blithely beyond his turf, understandably as his mother’s alter ego.
Definitely he loves his work in Congress and is set to get his third term, unless of course the mother decides, in the event of a Parliamentary government, to make serious that joke about running for a seat in Pampanga.
Despite his weekly badminton games at Mr. Caluag’s hotel resort, Mikey is developing a wider girth like Atty. Mike’s in younger times, otherwise he has a more rotund but robust physique with the tell-tale rich boy’s ruddy complexion. He is exuberant, irrepressible, and fun company like any coño kid of any power family.
Minalin’s irreverent preacher Ed Aguilar told him “you are a dark horse for 20l0.”
Mikey turned to me and quipped, “Kong Ram tingnan mo nga ang kutis ko, dark ba ako?” As I told you, Mikey knows his basic science.
