Pineda builds up Rodriguez before Kambilan Party coordinators. Photo by Bong Lacson
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Amid thundering applause, the Kambilan party led by Gov. Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda and her son vice gubernatorial running mate Dennis “Delta” Pineda endorsed Mayor Oscar S. Rodriguez for the province’s congressional representation in the third district.
“Ing kailangan tamu pung maging congressman (itang) mabilis makapa-release karing mangaragul a pondo, kailangan kepu i Mayor Oca Rodriguez para maging congressman tamu keng distritu (What we need for a congressman is one who could help in the release of large funds, I need Mayor Oca Rodriguez as a congressman in our district),” announced Gov. Pineda during her speech at the Paskuhan Village convention hall last Wednesday before 1,000 cheering and applauding Kambilan party coordinators and leaders for the City of San Fernando.
Pineda’s announcement, which elicited successive ovations from the attendees despite the absence of Rodriguez, was the culmination of what she described as Rodriguez’s efforts in helping the release of much needed funds to save Pampanga province from floods caused by torrential rains brought about by the southwest monsoon last year.
“Ikit yu pu nung maka nanu ing albug anyang Habagat (You saw the floods brought by the southwest monsoon),” Pineda said.
“Ikwentu ku mu pu kekayu ikayung coordinator mi nung makananu yang sinaup i Mayor Oca manikwang pondu (I would just like to narrate to you how Mayor Oca helped in getting funds),” she added.
Pineda said when the tail dike of the FVR megadike system was damaged last year following the collapse of the Gugu dike, and a big problem in Cupang, Arayat also came up because the setback levee was breached, the provincial government was urgently in need of funds coming from the national government to restore the damages.
She said Mayor Rodriguez with her and other governors met with Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson at the Regional Development Council (RDC) meeting. “ing gewa ming Mayor Oca keta RDC meeting tinutukan miya y DPWH Sec. Singson mig-appeal ke pu kang President Aquino na kailangan magawa la reng proyektung areni bang kanita misalba ya ing probinsyang Kapampangan (What Mayor Oca and I did at the RDC meeting was to confront DPWH Sec. Singson (with the situation) and appealed to President Aquino that we needed to work on the damaged infrastructures to save the province of Pampanga),” Pineda said.
She said if the damaged dikes were not repaired, waters from the Pampanga River would reach the towns of Arayat, Sta. Ana, and Mexico and also the capital city.
But she said because of Rodriguez’s efforts, the funds were released in less than a month. “Linwal ne pu ing P29 million para keng tail dike. Nengi pu malapit neng mayari. Ene lumbug ing San Fernando, ene lumbug ing Minalin at Sto. Tomas.
(The P29 million funds for the tail dike repair were released. Now it’s almost done. San Fernando will no longer be in danger of being flooded, as well as Minalin and Sto. Tomas),” Pineda said as a deafening applause filled the hall.
She said the P120-million fund needed to restore the setback levee in Cupang, Arayat was also released through the efforts of Rodriguez. Pineda said she went to inspect the work on the levee last Tuesday and was satisfied that work is progressing rapidly.
“Binye ne pu Secretary Singson ing pondu king kapamilatan nang Mayor Oca (Secretary Singson gave the funds through the efforts of Mayor Oca),” said Pineda.
The governor also said water coming down from Mt. Pinatubo needed to be rechanneled from the Gugu Creek back to its original channel at the Pasig-Potrero River. This will ensure that this city will no longer be in danger of being flooded, she added.
Pineda said last month, engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways met her at the Capitol and told her that the P560 million needed to divert the river from the Gugu Creek has been approved and released and that work will now begin.
Pineda said she also requested the repair of the dike near the Don Honorio Ventura State University in Bacolor town to save it from flooding. She said the P100 million funds for the dike was the result of their appeal at the RDC meeting with Mayor Rodriguez.
Overall, Pineda said, all their requests were granted and for 2013 work on the projects are ongoing.
Just before endorsing Rodriguez, Pineda told their supporters, “Kukutang yu pu siguru ot bakit kukuwentu ku ini kekayu (maybe you were asking why am I telling you these).”
”Balu ku pu aliwa aku ing kapartidu ng Mayor Rodriguez, aliwa pu aku ing kandidatu na ning administration, atin ya pung gobernor i Mayor Rodriguez. Pero pu eke pu intindyan ing sarili ku, eke intindyan ing kapakanan ku, ing importatnti matugunan ing problema na ning probinsyang Kapampangan (I know I am not a party mate of Mayor Rodriguez, I am not the candidate of the administration mayor Rodriguez has his own governor. But I don’t care for myself, I don’t care about my own welfare, what is important is to address the problems of the province of Pampanga),” said Pineda amid a thundering applause and cheers of “P-I-N-E-D-A, P-I-N-E-D-A!” from Kambilan leaders and coordinators.
“Baluku pu masakit uling eta neman pu kapartidu, Liberal ya. Pero pu ing Pampanga lagi yang atyu maka libutad king kalamidad eta na pu sana isipan na itang aliwang kanidatu kaluguran taya, kamag anak taya.
Ing importanti ining mitatagan atlung banwa ining problema da reng dike, inggang problema da reng river channels tamu kailangan agad agad makakwa tang mllyun keng national government bangkanita pu ene lumbug ing probinsyang Kapampangan (I know it’s hard because he is not our party mate, he is a Liberal.
But Pampanga is always in the middle of calamities, let us not think about the other candidate that we love him, or he is our relative.
What is important is these remaining three years our problems with dikes, all the problems of our river channels what we need is to immediately get funds from the national government so that the province of Pampanga will no longer be flooded),” Pineda said again amid deafening applause.
“Isipan ta nanu pu ing kapakanan na ning probinsya (Let’s just think of the welfare of our province),” she added as she urged everyone to vigorously campaign for Rodriguez in their barangays, their neighborhoods and with their relatives.
“100 percent gagarantyan kupu kekayu eya magkasakit y Gobernor Pineda manyad pera keng national government nung y Mayor Oca ing congressman (“I guarantee you 100 percent that Governor Pineda will not have a hard time in asking funds from the national government if Mayor Oca is congressman),” said Pineda.
The governor also said Rodriguez was instrumental in the release of P250 million funds for the Jose B. Lingad Regional Memorial Hospital here. She said the hospital has a 300-bed capacity but patients reach up to 700 which explains why even the passage ways have patients.
She said a new hospital wing is now being constructed from the funds Rodriguez helped secure.
Pineda said she is satisfied that she will leave a legacy of service to the Kapampangans when she is no longer governor.