BAD start. Vaunted "super boy" City Mayor Pamintuan has started his come backing administration with a false note, as in music, or a bad start as in a race.
In his well-read Zona Libre column Bong Lacson castigated Edpam for virtually lying to his teeth in the matter of appointing "one character named Laquindanum" to the City Hall, while leaving out the hardworking Deo Sambilay to a second fiddle job.
I am not privy to any plan to have Laquindanum in the Mayor's staff but strong opposition to guy's entry to a sensitive job at City Hall thwarted attempts to place him there. Archie Reyes as city PIO was well-received by those in the business.
Lacson's knife cut sharply in sarcasm, saying, "Yeah, it revives credence to that branding of Pamintuan by scornful ageing activists as a queso de bola - fearless on the outside, thoroughly yellow in the inside - not Cory yellow there but plain chicken yellow." Ouch!
Damage control. Immediately after the publication, the Mayor's wife fondly called Miniang by local folks rushed to Lacson's house like a speeding fire truck to douse a brush fire. With Miniang's exuberant charm and inborn skill at persuasive talk, the fiery temper of the hardboiled journalist seemed to have vanished, or his critical animosity extinguished. For the moment, that is.
Miniang is Edpam's secret weapon, much as Imelda was Marcos's. Give her great credit for a PR job well done for temporarily "taming" a critic. Now Angelenos will realize who is the real trouble shooter in the family.
Sad note. Political peace among leaders of Angeles City is hardly expected with the composition and divergent loyalties of the elected officials. That the new administration has shown its belligerent attitude to City Councilors who won under the slate of former Mayor Blueboy Nepomuceno was explicit in the treatment of Blueboy's allies in the office/room assignment in the City Hall.
Newly elected Councilor Alfie Bonifacio had railed how he and his colleagues had been badly treated, not only with hostile attitude but in actual contempt by "padlocking" preferred and former offices of the reelected and new councilors.
Vice Mayor and Presiding Officer Vicky Vega Cabigting called it a miscommunication but Dr. Alfie and the others alleged that Ms. Cabigting was apparently taking orders from the city mayor. Bonifacio who had one office (formerly occupied by party mate ex-Councilor Ares Yabut) renovated at his own expense, was awarded to a Pamintuan councilor ally.
"The mere padlocking of the offices gave unmistakable signal as to the militaristic and dictatorial trait of Pamintuan, "Dr. Alfie said. But he understood the brazen move as a squeeze play to compel Blueboy's councilor-allies to play ball with the administration as the former constitute the majority in the Council.
Vindicated. Bonifacio also took the cudgels for the former mayor after Nepomuceno won a suit restraining him to donate city owned-vehicles to barangay, youth, and Court officials.
The Court of Appeals, in effect, found no wrong doing on the part of Blueboy in donating 25 vehicles to recipients for their own use in their official capacities.
It is recalled that the donation were officially authorized by the last City Council which the Vice Mayor et al failed to debate and oppose. Dr. Alfie said.
Dr. Alfie, a former clinical professor in Dentistry, said EdPam should stop ranting about the donated vehicles because these will be used by local village officials and other recipients for enhanced service delivery. Consequently, being part of his administration in the city, the recipient barangay's good performance will reflect to the Mayor's achievement.
Why should he raise hell over the fact? The recipients are under his administrative supervision and their enhanced capability will rebound to the benefit of residents, not for Nepomuceno's, Bonifacio stressed.
Laus optimistic. The Pineda administration had found a fertile and nurturing ground for its successful governance.
Top Kapampangan leaders of commerce and industry who are based in the City of San Fernando seemed greatly impressed by the sincerity and congeniality of Governor Lilia Pineda, this was disclosed by top business honcho Levy Laus.
Laus expressed optimism that Pampanga will be in for tremendous socio-economic transformation in Nanay Baby's term.
The famous business leader was primarily impressed by the business expansion initiative of Ms. Pineda, "specially her creative and innovative plan to produce alternative revenues from sand quarrying."
Nanay Baby told industry leaders in a Clark meeting that sand resources can be exported, thus increasing resource value in addition to striving for record collections of fees. Her first few days' tally of quarry revenues broke the existing benchmark of the Panlilio administration.
With the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry as her affective partner in providing input to her development agenda, Governor Pineda has discovered, indeed, a powerful and receptive support that would help push her complex and numerous missions for the province.
An executive of high standards, both in ethics and service delivery, Laus commended Nanay Baby publicly while wishing the Governor his support and the collective cooperation of the very influential business group that he heads.