A WOMAN scorned venting hellish fury on her hapless constituents.
That’s what we gathered of the Honorable Dr. Anna York P. Bondoc-Sagum, 4th District representative, at the very center of her supposedly stormy outburst – the Candaba municipal hall only last Friday.
For losing – far from miserably – in Candaba to native Rene Maglanque in the May elections, Bondoc-Sagum retrieved all the barangay service vehicles in the town, depriving residents, especially those in the remote areas of their only means of transport in times of emergencies. So we heard a number of barangay chairmen and kagawads complain to Joel Mapiles of the provincial information office.
Venganza political. So one incensed capitan del barrio denounced Bondoc-Sagum’s (mis)deed, demanding a payback in kind: the declaration of the solon and her brother, Juan Pablo, better known as Rimpy, her predecessor at the House, as personae non grata to the people of Candaba.
So how did Rimpy factor in the retrieval of the service vehicles?
Those who took them are known to be Rimpy’s men, at least two village chairs and three kagawads so averred.
So, will it be the Liga ng mga Barangay ng Candaba that will pull the welcome mat from under the feet of the Bondoc siblings and declare the town off-limits to them then?
The Liga will have to pass first the persona non grata resolution that will be endorsed to the sangguniang bayan, which will then issue its own resolution on the matter. So the least angry of the huddled barangay officials told me.
So what had the object of animosity of the Candaba barangay leaders to say of the aftereffects of her action?
“No political revenge.” So was Bondoc-Sagum quoted in Sun-Star Pampanga the very day after our Candaba visit.
In the first place, so she said, the service vehicles were only lent to the barangays “for emergency purposes” and remained registered in the name of the Bondocs.
“We took the vehicles just to refurbish them…Those vehicles are five years old already. Baka naman sabihin ng mga tao sira-sira na, kaya pinapaayos ko.” Again, Sun-Star Pampanga quoted Bondoc-Sagum, assuring the barangays: “If there’s an emergency, they can come to me and I will give it back to them.”
(A supposition: In the middle of the night, a septuagenarian in Barangay Mandasig suffered cardiac arrest and had to be rushed to the nearest hospital. The barangay chair had to come to the congressional district office in Macabebe to get the barangay service vehicle. To obtain there is not a case of emergency but one of mortality.)
A further proviso from Bondoc-Sagum: that “she will prioritize the vehicles of barangay officials who approach her first.” A matter of first to come, first to get.
To append political revenge in simple automotive repair is malice of the lowest order. So whence cometh the evil thought of the scorned Bondoc-Sagum venting her hellish fury on the hapless Candabenos?
Mayor Jerry Pelayo, the Bondocs’ bete-noire, makes the usual suspect. But it would appear the Con-Doctora has only herself to point her delicate fingers to, given some pronouncements she ululated in the media.
“Some of the service vehicles were also used for vote-buying activities and personal transactions of village officials.” So was Bondoc-Sagum to have alleged.
“They were using it for vote buying (activities) andito na ngayon, ginagamit na nila pang-personal na lakad. Some of them use it for their personal businesses na talagang pangit naman.” So was Bondoc-Sagum directly quoted as saying.
Vote-buying or whatever else, it is common knowledge in Candaba that the barangay chairmen scorned Bondoc-Sagum and embraced Maglanque in the last elections.
A gamble that did not pay off, in the eye of the casual political observer. A crime that did not pay, in the hearts and minds of the Bondocs.
In Old Latin: Victori spolia – to the victor, the spoils.
In the philosophy of the kanto: “Binigyan mo ang kalaban mo ng pampalo sa ulo mo – you provided your enemy the means with which to fight you.
Whichever way, Bondoc-Sagum had to take the service vehicles out of the hands of the Candaba barangay chairmen. That’s plain and simple partisan politics. Vendetta an integral part of it.
That’s what we gathered of the Honorable Dr. Anna York P. Bondoc-Sagum, 4th District representative, at the very center of her supposedly stormy outburst – the Candaba municipal hall only last Friday.
For losing – far from miserably – in Candaba to native Rene Maglanque in the May elections, Bondoc-Sagum retrieved all the barangay service vehicles in the town, depriving residents, especially those in the remote areas of their only means of transport in times of emergencies. So we heard a number of barangay chairmen and kagawads complain to Joel Mapiles of the provincial information office.
Venganza political. So one incensed capitan del barrio denounced Bondoc-Sagum’s (mis)deed, demanding a payback in kind: the declaration of the solon and her brother, Juan Pablo, better known as Rimpy, her predecessor at the House, as personae non grata to the people of Candaba.
So how did Rimpy factor in the retrieval of the service vehicles?
Those who took them are known to be Rimpy’s men, at least two village chairs and three kagawads so averred.
So, will it be the Liga ng mga Barangay ng Candaba that will pull the welcome mat from under the feet of the Bondoc siblings and declare the town off-limits to them then?
The Liga will have to pass first the persona non grata resolution that will be endorsed to the sangguniang bayan, which will then issue its own resolution on the matter. So the least angry of the huddled barangay officials told me.
So what had the object of animosity of the Candaba barangay leaders to say of the aftereffects of her action?
“No political revenge.” So was Bondoc-Sagum quoted in Sun-Star Pampanga the very day after our Candaba visit.
In the first place, so she said, the service vehicles were only lent to the barangays “for emergency purposes” and remained registered in the name of the Bondocs.
“We took the vehicles just to refurbish them…Those vehicles are five years old already. Baka naman sabihin ng mga tao sira-sira na, kaya pinapaayos ko.” Again, Sun-Star Pampanga quoted Bondoc-Sagum, assuring the barangays: “If there’s an emergency, they can come to me and I will give it back to them.”
(A supposition: In the middle of the night, a septuagenarian in Barangay Mandasig suffered cardiac arrest and had to be rushed to the nearest hospital. The barangay chair had to come to the congressional district office in Macabebe to get the barangay service vehicle. To obtain there is not a case of emergency but one of mortality.)
A further proviso from Bondoc-Sagum: that “she will prioritize the vehicles of barangay officials who approach her first.” A matter of first to come, first to get.
To append political revenge in simple automotive repair is malice of the lowest order. So whence cometh the evil thought of the scorned Bondoc-Sagum venting her hellish fury on the hapless Candabenos?
Mayor Jerry Pelayo, the Bondocs’ bete-noire, makes the usual suspect. But it would appear the Con-Doctora has only herself to point her delicate fingers to, given some pronouncements she ululated in the media.
“Some of the service vehicles were also used for vote-buying activities and personal transactions of village officials.” So was Bondoc-Sagum to have alleged.
“They were using it for vote buying (activities) andito na ngayon, ginagamit na nila pang-personal na lakad. Some of them use it for their personal businesses na talagang pangit naman.” So was Bondoc-Sagum directly quoted as saying.
Vote-buying or whatever else, it is common knowledge in Candaba that the barangay chairmen scorned Bondoc-Sagum and embraced Maglanque in the last elections.
A gamble that did not pay off, in the eye of the casual political observer. A crime that did not pay, in the hearts and minds of the Bondocs.
In Old Latin: Victori spolia – to the victor, the spoils.
In the philosophy of the kanto: “Binigyan mo ang kalaban mo ng pampalo sa ulo mo – you provided your enemy the means with which to fight you.
Whichever way, Bondoc-Sagum had to take the service vehicles out of the hands of the Candaba barangay chairmen. That’s plain and simple partisan politics. Vendetta an integral part of it.
