Thursday, July 10, 2008 Panlilio allies want Dabu out of Capitol
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Allies of embattled Governor Eddie Panlilio want Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu out of the Provincial Capitol, a leading supporter of the governor said.
“Many of those who support the governor believe that Dabu is a big hindrance to him in running the affairs of the government better,” said Fr. Restituto Lumanlan, president of Kapampangan Coalition, Inc. (KCI), during Tuesday’s television interview.
Lumanlan said the governor had been repeatedly advised by his allies to get rid of Dabu, but to no avail.
“Among (Panlilio) always reasoned out that Dabu was a highly committed and competent person, saying that she is not even compensated as provincial administrator,” he said.
Dabu, along with erstwhile colleague lawyer Maria Elisa Velez, has not been recognized by the Provincial Board (PB). Velez resigned last month for unknown reasons.
Lumanlan said Dabu has been found to be legalistic and lacking in human skills.
“She (Dabu) has virtually cordoned off the governor and made him unreachable,” he said.
Averrel Laquindanum, president of the Kapampangan Marangal, Inc., an affiliate of KCI, echoed Lumanlan’s observations.
“I confronted her (Dabu) on one occasion and advised her to act as a politician now that she in politics, but she refused,” Laquindanum said.
The priest said their views on Dabu are equally shared by mayors who supposedly see her more as a liability than an asset to the governor.
At the same time, Lumanlan admitted that Panlilio is not a team player who is not likely to change as such.
“The governor fears that if he becomes a team player he may be swallowed by the system and lose his principles and credibility as crusader against corruption in government,” he said.
But Lumanlan said he disagrees with the Pampanga mayors that the situation in the province is hopeless because of the governor’s alleged poor performance.
“There’s hope and that depends not only on the governor but on every Kapampangan,” he said.
In a statement issued by the Pampanga Mayors League (PML) recently, Panlilio was given a failing grade after a year in office as the first priest-governor of Pampanga.
