THE BARD OF BLAISE (4)
The reelection of Laoag City Councilor Vicentito M. Lazo as PCL President augurs another term of self-centeredness and selective vigilance. As a representative of both the people and his fellow councilors, Lazo is expected to work for the needs and wants of his constituency. But knowing his political egocentrism, I doubt if he can truly satisfy that honorable task. Simply and brutally put, I believe that Lazo is a mere political dog – thus, all his growls and barks are devised against his political enemies, and for the benefit of his bosses. He tried to sugarcoat that pungent fact during his previous term as city councilor and PCL president, but one can never really hide the stench of a political canine. Let’s take the simplest of his devices: In the city council, whenever a measure is presented by a non-ally, Lazo is always there to block its passage using pseudo-heroic stance and fishy legal line of defense, or offense. Though he has the right to do that, the intention is questionable. Most of the time, it is observed that his blockades are only designed to disgrace his adversaries, even to the extent of sacrificing basic services for the people. The more intriguing part is this: Is he that vigilant when it comes to the actions and measures of his allies? Well, your guess is as good as mine. One of the latest, and “lightest”, controversies in the provincial board is the cellular phone issue – the allocation of funds for the purchase of classy and expensive cellular phones for the provincial legislators, including Lazo, being the PCL representative. Not only that, these honorables will also be supplied with a monthly P1,000 load. Of course, the funding for the said immoderation comes from the people’s money. Did I hear a yelp from the omniscient Lazo? Maybe for Lazo, this act is forgivable. Perhaps the provincial board is a set of ambitious paupers that they cannot even afford to buy their own cellular phones. Ambitious because these “paupers” even chose the sophisticated brands and editions. The foregoing may be a lame illustration of Lazo’s selective vigilance. Forgive me, but I shudder by the mere thought of the more critical ones. Well, remember what Brutus said: “Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more.” But please do not forget, Brutus will always be Brutus. |
