Friday, February 01, 2008 Pangan: Ripe, right and tight for cityhood By Benjie Pangan At Close Range
YES, Mabalacat is ripe for cityhood, this claim being advanced by Mayor Boking Morales as he appeared before the committee en banc of the Provincial Board (PB) last Wednesday.
The committee, chaired by Board Member Tars DC Halili, who subbed for Vice Governor and Presiding Officer Joseller Guiao, had for its members Edna David, Lina Bagasina, Ric Yabut, Nelson Calara, Art Salalila, Johnny Quiambao and Cris Garbo.
On hand to give moral boost to the proponent mayor were department heads of the LGU of Mabalacat: Rosan Paquia, Municipal Administrator and concurrent MPDC; Bernard delos Reyes, zoning officer; Au Manabat, assistant assessor; Ma. Clara Aquino, RHU chief; Baby Amurao, HRMO head; Terry Medina, MCR; Ted David,
Municipal Accountant; this writer representing Peso; Secretary Edgar Angeles; Rudy Capid, head of the Solid Waste Office; and, in full force, members of the Municipal Council (MC), except Vice Mayor and presiding officer Prospero Lagman, Tom Manalo, Dr. Oca Aurelio, Jerry Basilio, Benny Jocson, Noel Castro (Vice Mayor to-be?), Christian Halili, Eddie Sotto and Mabalacat ABC prexy Jeng Yumul.
Absent were; MC Froy Galang who had to attend to his father's wake and ex-officio MC member, SK President Migz Morales due to some commitments.
Mayor Boking deftly fielded questions from the PB panel initiated by
BM Johnny Quiambao who asked some clarificatory questions.
Folders containing briefing and supporting papers proving compliance with the requirements of city hood were provided members of the committee, aside from the folders previously given them by the municipal secretariat.
In his opening statements before the PB committee hearing the request for endorsement of the application for conversion for city hood, Mayor Boking stated his and his constituents' dream of seeing Mabalacat finally becoming a city of peace, beauty and progress and that the three basic requirements for city hood, namely: land area, income and population were already sufficiently met by the first-class municipality.
Asked by chair Halili about the infrastructure projects now existing and to be built, Boking replied that, yes, significant structures are already in place like the Mabalacat-Clark spur road, interchanges at Dau-Duquit and Cacutud-Dolores areas.
In time, said Boking, secondary roads will be built with the expected huge income (300-700 million pesos) of the new city.
Focusing on education, Mayor Boking disclosed that the Mabalacat College will open in June.
Other basic services for health, peace and order, senior citizens and persons with disabilities are being dispensed and will be enhanced with the approval of the application for conversion.
After satisfying the queries from the committee members and there being no other observations, the chair declared that the committee will convene again for a second hearing on the endorsement needed from the PB.
Visibly elated by the favorable response of the PB committee, Mayor Boking profusely thanked the members and then headed back home, together with the department heads and Municipal Council members.
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SOME are greedier than the others. I sympathize with colleague Noel Tulabut who had a run-in with a medical facility in Dau.
I have written about prohibitive cost of medicines and supplies dispensed at medical clinics and hospitals, to the disadvantage of patients, especially the poor ones.
This case of Noel is not an isolated one. It has been reported that several times in the past and in some instances involving prominent media practitioners, the patients were always on the receiving end and had no recourse but to buy the medicines elsewhere.
For whatever it is worth, Tulabut, I register my protest over the bad attitude and actuations of some hospital management and personnel toward patients, their relatives and the public.
