DURING the founding anniversary celebration of the Provincial Government yesterday, the top two Capitol officials did not trade barbs.
But Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. accused Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia of glaring at him after the mass at the Capitol Social Hall yesterday.
The two, however, had the chance to shake hands after the mass.
But Garcia, Sanchez said, looked at him angrily at him at some point.
“Hait siya'g tinan-awan nako. I was just laughing inside. I thought, this lady must be angry with me. An angry person is an unhappy person,” Sanchez told reporters.
When asked for comment, Garcia laughed but admitted she glared at Sanchez.
“Well, actually, yes... Nag-antyohos man gud siya’g ngit-ngit. Dili ko kita sa iyang mata. Mao to akong gidako-dako’g tan-aw gyud kung unsa pu’y hitsura sa iyang mata.
Wala ba pud ko niya siga-i (He was wearing dark glasses, I couldn’t see his eyes. I had to open my eyes wide to see if he was glaring at me),” said Garcia.
Sanchez was wearing shades while hearing mass, which he decided to attend even if he had no part in the program.
Garcia said she had a number of things to do rather than take care of the invitations herself.
Sanchez also criticized the “personality-driven” leadership of Garcia, citing this year's theme for the celebration “Balik lantaw sa talagsaung liderato (Looking back at an exceptional leadership).”
Capitol spokesperson on information and revenue generation Rory Jon Sepulveda said the theme was conceptualized by the department heads.
But he defended it as apt, saying now is the time to show people what the Province has done because Garcia is on her third term.
Making promises or giving hopeful themes are only good for the early part of the term, he said.
Sanchez said he is not against the theme but would have preferred one that had something to do with the founding anniversary of the Province.