Building frenzy

“YES. THE city government is going full blast as to these much-needed infrastructure projects. It’s a long list actually where we hope Fernandinos will eventually be the beneficiaries thereafter as the projects are realized.”
So affirmed City of San Fernando Mayor Oscar S. Rodriguez of the infrastructure boom in the capital. As reported in Sun-Star Pampanga.
Getting the lion share of the amount is the Sagip-Ilog Project, nearing completion – at last, at last, at long last! – at a cost of P700 million, with P100 million as the city’s counterpart.
Complementary to the river-saving project is the rehabilitation of Balimbing Creek at the cost of some P60 million.
A thoroughly flood-free city is the end in-view of the above cited projects. So we have heard, ad nauseam, from the city government.
The City College campus main building comes in at P100 million. A worthy cause, a legacy project there for Mayor Rodriguez, if only in keeping with his clarion call to the youth: “The future belongs to those who embrace it.” Hope I got that right.
“Add to national projects like the construction of the flyover at the junction of JASA (Jose Abad Santos Avenue) and Lazatin Boulevard, the construction of a footbridge in JASA-Dolores, road upgrades and the widening of vital roads, plus of course, the construction of school buildings in most barangays, it totals to about P1.1 billion altogether.” So computed Rodriguez of the cost of the building frenzy.
The term-ending city mayor said many other infrastructure development projects have been submitted to the city council: “It will be up to them to approve of more proposals in the city which will benefit not only Fernandinos but other Kapampangans in neighboring towns. I hope to hear from the council soonest.”
More salutatory – at the commencement of a term in office – than valedictory – at the closing – is Rodriguez’s current display of some edifice complex.
Which leads to various speculations that this is Rodriguez’s way of building up, aye, of consolidating a power base in the city to propel him to the Capitol in 2013.
Malicious, very malicious, is the conjecture – no doubt coming from malcontents at city hall – that with the P1.1-billion infra fund, Rodriguez will have “seed money” or “mobilization fund” for his purported run for the governorship.
Yeah, at the usual 10 percent SOP in infra projects, there’s a windfall of P110 million there. Enough for the fourth district to cover.
Woe unto these evil thinkers.
Rodriguez is doing one hell of a job in the City of San Fernando which benefits the rest of the province.
Rodriguez, term notwithstanding, is one heck of a civil servant, proven beyond an iota of doubt in his 14 years as congressman capped by his sterling performance as prosecutor in the Estrada impeachment trial; in his near nine years as mayor, highlighted by his runner-up finish in the World City Mayor awards. And as surely can be proven too in his being governor, given the mandate.
And that is that.
It cannot be helped that with Rodriguez’s erection of infrastructures all around the city, naturally come some ejaculatory delights – OCApitolyo! OCApitolyo! -- from those incessantly pushing him to the governorship in 2013.
Some welcome development there, not only for Rodriguez’s partisans but for Gov. Lilia G. Pineda herself.
On more than one occasion, the Nanay has declared: “Magaling si Mayor Oca at hindi natin matatawaran ang kanyang karanasan at kahusayan bilang isang public servant. Mas maganda na tumakbo siyang gobernador para mayroong pagpipilian ang mga kababayan natin kung sino ang gusto nilang mamuno sa kanila bilang gobernador sa 2013. Welcome siya at kahit sinong gustong magsilbi sa probinsya. I hope he will join (the gubernatorial contest).”
Any other politico saying the same thing would have amounted to nothing more than hypocritical civility. But not with Pineda, given her storied sincerity and innate humility – what you see in her is what you get; what you hear from her is what it is.
So whether Rodriguez succumbs to the mounting – and very tempting – pressure for him to run for governor, or take the congressional route instead, he has built up enough stock of goodwill, political and otherwise, with his dedicated service to his constituents.