The Cost of Doing the Wrong Things

THERE are those who seem so sure that they know Gov. Eddie Panlilio well enough to claim that his latest dilemma on the issue of recount is “the cost of doing the right thing”. More than just trying to prove a point, they even went so far as to see Panlilio as the present day Cory Aquino.

I hate burst your bubble, Ms. Eilene Aguila of Kaya Natin! and Kilos Na!, but one of your two favorite governors is not all that you imagine him to be.

If you and your comrades in defense of Panlilio closely followed the promising-turned-disastrous political career of Governor Panlilio, cared to listen to the grievances of the people of what was once a formidable Kapampangan Crusade, or even just spared a few minutes of your time to read the local newspapers of Pampanga as I have, I think you would instead be asking these more objective questions: Can it be that the recount is Panlilio’s problem not only because of the good things he’s not done, but also because of what he didn’t or even failed to do? Can it not be that Panlilio is where he is right now because of the wrong things he’s done?

Think about it.

Panlilio became the governor of Pampanga because the good people of the Crusade who all gave his campaign everything they possibly could – time, skills, talents, creativity, and money. This gave the unknown parish priest a good fighting chance against Pineda and Lapid, and as per official election result (but is now in serious question), he won.

Knowing that the objective of the Crusade did not end with winning the election – with so many things to do and so short a time -- many of the Crusaders continued to pledge their support to the governor in order for him and more importantly, the cause of the Crusade to succeed. Those who could join his Capitol confidence team did, a few hundred became BALAS employees as quarry checkers and supervisors.

Even more others formed themselves into grassroots community-based organizations like those under Kapampangan Marangal, Inc. (KMI) and later Kapampangan Coalition, Inc. (KCI) whose leaders spent hours and hours of their time and also their resources in meetings on how to help in the organizing and consolidation of the people who voted for Panlilio.

Likewise, influential socio-civic groups and NGOs like the ADCL and Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) worked with government agencies to come up with a brilliant research on assessment needs of the province and soon offered the results to the governor as guidance for his own development agenda. The Hizon Family of Pampanga’s Best continued to offer their homes to Panlilio who then thought that his life was in danger.

The above WAS Panlilio’s own solid economic and political base. NOW IT’S GONE.

Soon after the merry month of July 2007 though, it started to get obvious that Panlilio’s appointed Provincial Administrator Atty. Vivian Dabu was the glitch in Panlilio’s expanding base. One blunder after another, worsened by paranoia and a power-puffed head, members of the confidence team and the civil society groups began to question the logic, wisdom and lame excuses of Panlilio in keeping and fighting tooth and nail for Atty. Dabu.

In a year and in succession, Panlilio’s confidence team, most of them in angry tears, left their Capitol posts, their governor, and some even the Crusade altogether. The anti-Dabu sentiment grew into a movement triggered by what she did to the BALAS Boys causing even KMI and KCI to publicly ask Panlilio to remove the Dabu after private consultations and dialogues with the governor failed. At this point, the Crusaders were convinced that Atty. Dabu is not as much a threat to the Kapampangan Crusade as was Panlilio himself.

PANLILIO IS THE PROBLEM, NOT ATTY. DABU, said another priest.

Now ask:

If the governor did not fail in leading and consolidating the people of Pampanga but succeeded instead on losing his allies, making enemies instead of new friends, would he be panicking as he does now about the recount?

Would the P21,000 a day for revisers be an issue? Would he have problems with the legal fees of lawyers?

Would he even need to make unfounded allegations about tampered ballots boxes?

Would it be this difficult for rally organizers to mobilize more than 100 people to attend the protest actions or even need to urge a bishop to attend his press conference in order to prove the immorality and injustice of the recount?

THE ANSWER TO ALL OF THE ABOVE IS NO.

If he hadn’t succeeded in losing majority of his allies and support, the recount would not matter. In fact, there might not even be a recount, with Pineda would see that there was no point to it because the people of Pampanga would fight it, yes, tooth and nail! But as it is turning out, Panlilio does not have a Kapampangan force to speak of. So then!

GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE, MS. AGUILA… as you think aloud in your article as to why bad things happen to good people and painstakingly convince your readers to join KAYA NATIN and KILOS NA! to support Ed Panlilio and your other favorite governor. In fact, it’s what Jesus Christ taught us.

Many are thinking that Panlilio has lost touch of reality. I think now Panlilio has his own reality based on what he believes it to be, no thanks to those who feed him with the wrong brain food.

Shrinks will have a more precise term for it. I can only think of a layman’s version, but I need not say it because you already know it.

For the curious, Ms. Aguila’s article may be found at http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/aug/14/yehey/opinion/20090814opi7.html.