Tulabut: Break

I THOUGHT he is on a break, on vacation at that.

But Pampanga Governor Dennis “Delta” G. Pineda is not. While in the US, he is still minding the affairs of the province and the welfare of us, his Cabalens.

A post on Facebook page of our good friend Elmer Cato, now Consul General in New York City, says it all.

The governor, who understandably, must take a break from the grueling duties of running the Capitol, cannot help it but still make good his commitment for his beloved Pampanga. Never mind that he was (and still is) leading a very good Covid campaign and management program. Never mind that he still has to handle other issues and concerns from health, livelihood, peace and order and what have you.

While in New York, he went out of his way to meet journalist-turned-diplomat right in his office at the Philippine Center along 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Discussion on the fight against the pandemic topped the agenda, especially the initiatives of the provincial government.

And CG Cato can only note also the other programs of the Capitol.

“We were also heartened to hear the other initiatives the province had been undertaking in the areas of peace and order, trade and investment, disaster management, education, and arts, culture, and sports,” said Cato.

CG’s Cato’s office also arranged for the meeting of Governor with Joan Littlefield, Director for Asia and Eurasia Programs of Americares, a non-profit organization that provides medicines and medical supplies to various countries around the world.

“The meeting should pave the way for a partnership agreement between the Provincial Government and Americares, for the donation of vital medicines and medical supplies for use by the provincial hospital, district hospitals and other local health units in Pampanga. We both agreed that this partnership should be pursued as it will benefit indigent cabalens back home,” CG Cato said.

Governor Delta wastes no time in finding ways to continue to uplift the welfare of Pampanga and its people, whether here or abroad.

***

In the accompanying photo, the good governor looked with his usual mild-mannered, soft spoken and attentive demeanor. And how that black cap, which appears like a beret, looked good on him.

I’m pretty sure that he wore that not to be fashionable but to protect him from the cold. A lot of people in the US wear berets and caps during autumn as temperatures drop to as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Him wearing that reminded me of Prince Charles who exudes authority with his military uniform, Silvester Stallone manifesting leadership in Expendables, the movie.

For the Governor, he simply looked so cool and young with it.

***

That meeting manifested only but good work there by the next Capampangan who very much deserves an Ambassadorship.

But he needs a pause too from back-breaking duties and functions as Consul General that covers not just the tri-state New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and seven other states, including big ones like Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

In January last year, CG Cato hit the ground running when he took the post in the Big Apple, with some Filipinos falling victims to Asian hate crime as the immediate issue he has to deal with. It is no walk in the park. He has been mostly on 7-day work weeks since. And those requires attending a lot of public functions and guestings in various Fil-Am communities that send him home late for night’s rest.

Their pet dog Appa, I could tell, is surprised to see him home early one night last week as his body starts to break down. In fact, he has to beg off from attending one public function that evening. While Appa might be confused, I bet his body is not and is telling him only one thing – get a much needed break. While the lovely dog could also be complaining, CG Cato is not.

I don’t remember CG Cato taking well deserved vacations even after he finished his tours in war-torn Baghdad and Tripoli where he volunteered to serve not too long ago. These are two foreign posts where no diplomats would easily agree to be assigned at.

In those places, he dodged bullets. In New York, he has to duck another kind of gunshots – stresses, as that post, no matter how seemingly glamorous, is also a battlefield. Find time to rest Amba.

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