Dayagulo

“WE REGRET to inform the governor that we will not attend the said dialogue for we no longer believe in his sincerity and capacity to resolve our problem.”
So was one Benedicto Lacsamana, also-president of the Federation of Pampanga Truckers Inc., quoted in our front page item Truckers back out of dialog with Gov last Friday.
That, even as the governor, in the same news story insisted: “My office remains open. I have not closed the chances of dialoguing with them to address their concerns.”
Dialogue, truly a by-word in the Panlilio administration, is the least of its operative words. Here’s a refresher on Panlilio’s dialogue record in a reprint of this column’s August 27, 2008 edition.

Dayagulo

“I MAY be stubborn when it comes to my convictions but I am a dialoguing person.”
So said the Gov. Eddie T. Panlilio on his Monday’s Quezon City press conference, ensconced in his comfort zone of the Kaya Natin! Movement and his remaining faithful chorus, the Kapampangan Marangal, Inc.
“I may have differences with some civil society groups …to settle these bickerings and issues, I am more than willing to hold a dialogue with them at their most convenient time and place.” So was the embattled Governor reported as saying.
With that talk, Panlilio could have taken his audience for the proverbial Marines. Yeah, as in tell it to them dummies. For Panlilio is anything and everything but a “dialoguing person.” To wit:
Exhibit A: Panlilio’s dialogue with the quarrymen of Balas, moderated by the Rev. Fr. Deo Galang and attended by his civil society groups at the Social Action Center of Pampanga premises, July 18.
Yes, that dialogue had an immediate result: the end to the July 10-13 picket of the Balas boys effected by agreements vowed to by Panlilio to implement, principal among which was the reinstatement of the protesting quarry workers.
Its end result though was the bigger, noisier and bitterer August picket – still on-going at presstime – after the agreements reached in the dialogue were unilaterally disregarded by Panlilio – allegedly upon the proddings of putative provincial administrator Atty. Vivian Dabu.
“Peglokwan da kami, beligtad da ing pisabi.” They fooled us, they reneged on their word. So the Balas boys charged of Panlilio and Dabu. So Panlilio immediately sacked all 40 of them.
Exhibit B: Panlilio’s twin dialogues with the sangguniang panlalawigan both ending in deeper animosities between the two branches of the provincial government.
The lasting image of the second one – on local television yet – was an unpriestly ranting, raving and raging Panlilio to a dignifiedly defiant Vice Gov. Yeng Guiao.
Exhibit C: Panlilio’s early dialogues with Guiao, arranged by businessman Rene Romero, chair of the Advocacy for the Development of Central Luzon and president of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The “gentleman’s agreement” for the executive to meet with the legislative to thresh out issues before being raised to the sanggunian floor cavalierly thrown to the wind with Panlilio’s “I forgot” in the cases of the blanket authority request and Dabu’s (non)confirmation hearing.
The end result: Romero giving up on his Governor and ultimately calling Panlilio a failure not only at governance but moreso at his word.
Not so flash report, okay, delayed news: Romero was reported as having accused the Governor of "merely stealing the crusade for good governance from civil society groups here…”
Now, now, that’s tantamount to calling Panlilio a thief, a bandit, a burglar, a robber, a ladron. ­ Very serious accusations there, Sir.
Exhibit D: On the very first day of the resumption of the protest rally of the Balas boys at the capitol, August 11, Panlilio issued a dispersal order to Senor Supt. Keith Ernald Singian for the police to clear the capitol grounds of the protestors. Talks had it that Panlilio verbally ordered the police to bodily carry out the protestors if needed.
Dispersal is anathema to dialogue. That Panlilio – a priest, albeit suspended – could even conceive of dispersing those calling for the resignation of his administrator makes a despot, not a “dialoguing person.” Think what Panlilio could resort to were his very own position at stake.
Exhibit E: The civil society groups, with Panlilio campaign manager Averell Laquindanum as spokesman, sought and were granted a dialogue by Guiao and the sangguniang panlalawigan.
The civil society groups had all praises for the SP, finding them approachable, reasonable, and even adaptable. The SP virtually empowered the civil society groups as full partners in local governance by asking them to provide the inputs – research, studies, proposed resolutions – on legislations, the rationalization of quarry operations being only one of them.
So there, Panlilio’s civil society found their dialogue with the SP, not with their idol.
Panlilio a “dialoguing person”? From the exhibits presented here, it can be reasonably deduced that with the Governor, the dayalogo -- as that CLTV 36 teaser called it – is not anything but a dayagulo. A cheat, a disorder.