For a merchant-free Plaza Rizal
I DON'T know if people close to Camarines Sur Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte read this blog. But early this morning, as I passed by on the way to Atlantic Bakery to get our usual fill of pandesal after driving my eldest to school, I was pleasantly surprised to see Plaza Rizal finally rid of the "filth" I talked about here.
I'm not sure this situation will last, because there are reports the stalls that had been desecrating Plaza Rizal disappeared because their contract with the provincial capitol lapsed already. Which means they can easily move back if a new contract is signed, pending resolution of a case filed by the city government that is conveniently gathering cobwebs at the Court of Appeals.
But I think there is a message there somewhere, because Governor Villafuerte could have opted to renew the contract if he wanted to -- and in so doing continue to spite Naga and its government in the process.
But I hope it does, not only because it reinforces the reported split between an outraged father and his "prodigal" son, but because Naga deserves a plaza that, by law, is beyond the commerce of man. As I've said before, L-Ray is bound to score a measure of goodwill, not to mention political points even if Nagueños do not vote for provincial officials. By keeping Plaza Rizal free of merchants, he is differentiating himself from his estranged father who is admittedly well-known but certainly not well-loved like, say, the late Raul Roco.
2 comments:
i don't think there is a comparison between how well-loved LRV is and how well-loved Robredo is in the entire camarines sur, though i admit that Robredo is well loved in Naga City for his more subdued style. I still wonder a little, though, why, for a former Spanish colony and thus a civilization with an inherent appreciation for the bombastic, LRV's most outspoken style is frowned upon. this is definitely room for thought.
Linked you up, by the way. Thanks for continuing to visit my blog.
Hi Maryanne: I agree with you in regard to LRV and his estranged nephew, with the latter serving only in a subset of the province. Only that I am not comparing the two; the comparison I made in the post is with the late Raul Roco, who is LRV's contemporary.
The late Nonoy Bulaong also comes to mind, if we give primacy to their having held the same post. In a sense, they share the same bombast as politicians.
But for all the gifts that LRV has, and he has many, his quarrelsome nature -- his Achilles heel, really -- trumps them eventually. For instance, just imagine what Camarines Sur (or even the 2nd district) could have become if he did not have to part ways with Robredo, this sorry episode with L-Ray is not happening, and Capitol has not been at odds with City Hall for the past two decades. Truth to tell, these internecine rivalries has had huge opportunity costs for Camarines Sur.
I don't know if it's just my middle class sensibilities, but a bombastic bully is still a bully.:)
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