Commentary
“SISIKLAB YA pung alang patna ing lugud ku para kareng Fernandinos. Kaluguran ke pu ing siyudad San Fernando kasi keni ku pu mibait, keni ku pu meragul, keni ku pu mikaisip, keni ku pu megaral, keni ku pu mekapakyasawa, keni ku mekapagnegosyu, keni ku minasensu, keni ku pu mika-apu, keni ku pu magserbisyu, at keni na ku rin pu mate. I am a proud Fernandino through and through.
Tune ku pung Fernandinu king isip, pusu, amanu at dapat. Dapat pung marapat, dapat pung tapat, at dapat pung mayap.
Kekatamu ya ing San Fernandu, kaluguran ta ya ing San Fernando. Ing City of San Fernando, karen ya mung Fernandino.
Ikayu ing tagumpe ku. Aku ing tagumpe yu, itamu ing tagumpe ring susunod a henerasyun ning City of San Fernando.
Aku pu y Mayor Vilma Balle-Caluag, ing kekayung mayor, ing kekayung ima, ing babaing ating tune siklab ning lugud kareng Fernandino.
Tandanan ta mu pu Fernandino ka, kayabe ka.”
EXCLUSIVE TO Fernandinos only. Thus, re-electionist Mayor Vilma Balle-Caluag declared Pampanga’s capital city, in a not-so-subtle jab at her probable rival for the mayoralty – resigned 2nd District board member and former Lubao town Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab.
In San Fernando she was born, grew, studied, married, succeeded in business, became a grandparent, serves, and yes, will die.
Hence, Caluag claimed as birthright the exclusivity of love for the city in the flourishing finis to her state of the city address (SOCA) delivered on Sept. 19 at the Kingsborough International Convention Center. Indeed, an arrogation unto herself of the very theme of the SOCA – Siklab Ning Lugud: Ing Tagumpe Ning Syudad San Fernando – the explosion of love only she, a Fernandino, can ignite for the city to triumph.
The SOCA itself, alas, devolving more into song-and-skit entertainment than serious deliberation on city governance. Aye, absent the official, if routinary, city council session called to order by the presiding officer then dispensing with the agenda to give way to the mayor’s SOCA, and the call for adjournment at the end of hizzoner’s speech. Vice Mayor Benedict Jasper Lagman reduced to a mere spectator seen craning his neck to have a better view of the stage where the mayor starred as though in some zarzuela of old.
To be fair, Caluag did a perfunctory litany of claimed accomplishments but this did not impact as much as the showtime part of the event.
But why would anyone even care, when TikTok is all that matters. Photo: CN PHOTO
