‘Amor con amor se paga’. You can only pay love with love. It’s a philosophy of moral feelings. Now it’s all over town. Sportsman Rodolfo Pineda, aka Tatay Bong, first gentleman of Pampanga and Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo have falling out. It seems it is a misstep of Garbo. It’s known to all and sundry that Garbo captured city hall with much help from Tatay Bong. Garbo acknowledged that. He never denied that. As the story goes, a long time friend of Tatay Bong approached the latter for some help. The friend is in leasing construction equipment and there are construction jobs being undertaken in Garbo’s city. Graciously, Tatay Bong requested Garbo to help his friend. In three occasions by way of follow up by Tatay Bong, Garbo failed to redeem his commitment, I was told. It is always expected from someone that when you say yes, it should be with conviction, not as they say in Kapampangan,’ tangu ng Berry, ban agad mikawani.’
And it seems Tatay Bong already burned the bridge and placed a wall between him and Mayor Cris Garbo. All the while I have an impression that Garbo is a dyed in the wool Pineda supporter from the time he was elected as a provincial board member and Nanay Baby was governor and son Dennis aka Delta succeeded her. According to my sources, Tatay Bong called on Mabalacat Vice Mayor Geld Aquino and some members of the city council for a meeting at the Pradera in Lubao and talked lengthily on politics. That in itself I believe is already a withdrawal of support on Garbo and it would mean the Pinedas will back up Aquino in the forthcoming local elections. The mayorship of Mabalacat is a plum prize because the city gets a big slice of the 5%gross income earned (GIE) from Clark Freeport locators.
Retro: Who could imagine that Garbo placing a far second to Morales in a mayoral contest in 2016 became the chief executive of the city? But it happened. In 2017, Morales was unseated and Garbo took his seat. It is an open secret that it was Tatay Bong who helped Garbo. And sadly from then on Morales made an unsuccessful run. He was even defeated then by his nephew Geld Aquino considered political neophyte in a vice mayoral race. Well, as it is said in Murphy’s Law, when it’s going to happen, it will happen.