Before the speakers
said their individual pieces, Dayan Agda, Chief of Political Affairs
Office thanked everyone around, supporter or not. The seemingly
emotional Agda admitted that nobody among them, now in the helm with
Coquilla, may have to be intoxicated with power.
“Waray gad namon
sadang igdako ngan ig-abusar, kay ine nga amon pwesto sugad han aton
kinabuhi in temporaryo la. Kun pwede ngan lugod, ig-ampo kami niyo
basi dire kami malumos hine nga amon poder.” (We have nothing to be
proud of in this post because like our stay in this life, everything
is temporary in nature. We appeal instead for your prayers that we
might not be swallowed up by whatever possession or influence).
According to him all
is over, as he referred to political bickering of the recent past. He
suggested instead for everyone to get started, support each other’s
program and work hard in order to accelerate rural progress.
More than 20
department heads presented their agency programs and profile to the
new Congressional Representative, who with all his indulgence,
listened intently to the almost four-hour speeches of his guests from
start to finish.
Asked why he conducted
such a first ever consultative meeting with national agencies,
Coquilla answered, he wanted to know some entry points to these
agencies wherein he could extend some assistance and or harmonize
programs and projects with theirs. And true enough, not a single
speaker ended up his or her talk without airing some problems and
recommendations. Foremost in the litany of problems were the need for
personal computers (PC), personnel and service vehicles.
In his message,
Congressman Coquilla told his audience of some sources where he could
possibly get funds for the acquisition of computers; and, apparently
directing congruently with the super region’s thrust of President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the rehabilitation of the Borongan airport
and national roads will remain as his primary concern, he said.
On the “understaffed”
problem of some offices, Fr. Roberto Picardal, short of suggesting in
the plenary, cited some offices in government which have the most
numbers of personnel but have very few functions, others are
duplicated, still others have nothing to do at all, yet, are receiving
equal pay; maybe, the priest said, some examinations have to be done
in order to delimit extravagance of government resources.
The meeting was
concluded with a group picture. However, many missed the photo op
because it was near dusk already and they still have to hurdle the two
and a half hour travel time back to Borongan City.
