ONE by one, well-meaning men and women who have either been supporting or working with Governor Eddie T. Panlilio are leaving his fold, making the public ponder the nagging logical question: who's next?
The latest "believer" to abandon the priest-governor is no less than his chief of staff, Archimedes Reyes, one of the prominent members of his inner circle from day one in public office. Apparently, Reyes's departure was triggered by his irreconcilable differences with another Panlilio's highly trusted aide at the provincial Capitol, lawyer and Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu.
If it were the only reason for his leaving the Panlilio camp, Reyes should be commended for his sense of professionalism and delicadeza. Having asked for Dabu's replacement, and failing that, calling it quits was a good judgment to call at the next opportunity.
In fairness to Dabu, there are indications that Reyes had other compelling reasons.
He commented, for instance, about the bickering and divided leadership between Panlilio and the Provincial Board that, in his view, the province does not deserve.
There's no doubt it was a nuanced indictment of Panlilio's brand of leadership that Reyes probably could no longer abide coming from a more or less idealistic ground on which he agreed to work for Panlilio.
Reyes's decent and correct departure followed the path of other "believers" in Panlilio who saw in him the kind of a leader that Pampanga needs and deserves as people clamor for good governance and reforms at the provincial Capitol.
Their reasons for leaving varied. Some felt they were blithely ignored or rubbed the wrong way after he rose to power. Others were dismayed by what was viewed as lack of management and human skills, egregious factors that keep the distance and differences between Panlilio and Vice Governor Joseller "Yeng" Guiao and other members of the Provincial Board ever widening. And then, as always, the Dabu factor keeps creeping into the picture.
Reyes's sidebar on the issue of divisiveness is interesting because his resignation came on the heels of a dialogue between Panlilio and Guiao, a public confrontation that many lamented as a complete failure and a waste of time.
Reyes's quitting can only validate that unfavorable perception, as well as other similar unpleasant opinions, that will only continually hound his former boss' as the province's highest elected official.
Who goes next could spell bigger headache, if not a disaster, for Panlilio.
