TWENTY one days in office. Each day her hands on the Capitol and all things in between, from entertaining courtesy calls to helping the hundreds of folks who walk into her office each day, seeking help in varied forms.
Lady Governor Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda has been on her toes, fulfilling, as if there was no tomorrow, her campaign promises: health, education, infrastructure, investments generation and environmental programs, just to cite a few of what’s in her long list.
But in a week’s time, the mother of the province, who is redefining governance herself by filling in every unforgiving minute with action, not mere talk, issued three marching orders that demanded swift response.
Marching order number one: Stop informal settling, or to shoot it in the head, “squatting” in all Capitol properties, whether it is the future government employees’ housing site in San Pedro Cutud, and of late, the growing “community” inside and along the mega dike.
Marching order number two: Seize quarry trucks with backloads of toxic waste hauled from Manila and dumped indiscriminately in idle lands in the province. The command is encompassing, from police to local municipal chief executives. Directly, what the governor wanted to say was: “Stop making us a dumpsite!”
Marching order number three: Close the megadike west lateral road before it gets worst. With a throng of officials from different agencies, truckers and media, Nanay Baby swooped down on the heavily dilapidated road for an inspection, and was, expectedly, irked over its condition. And then was irked all the more upon learning that truckers were paying P800+ for passage fees without even knowing where the fees go.
Gov. Pineda has been shooting many birds at a time. But marching orders have rarely been issued in the past, making situations sore as they are now. And the mother of Kapampangans is moving fast, issuing them, yet staying in cadence.
Despite the tall orders, the first woman governor of the province remains steadfast in her mission, that is, never must Pampanga and the welfare of the many be sacrificed in lieu of the few. Sounds right, it is right. The march goes on, and Kapampangans are marching with her.