Antique’s firsts

THE first time in Antique’s history, it is enjoying the respect of the Department of Education (DepEd) for allowing the 2017 Palarong Pambansa to be held in the province. For the first time we know that setting aside more than P2 billion for Secretary Leonor Magtulis Briones’ public works projects. grandfather hails from Antique, And when Senate f i nance the town of Barbaza to be exact. committee chairman Loren Legarda, According to reports, the almost with some assistant secretaries teary- eyed Secretary assured and regional directors, came to everyone in a gathering at The Venue the province to announce her that she is an Antiqueña and will national appropriations for Antique, support the holding of the Palaro in barkers from a group critical of new the province. improvements in the province were

Another first for Antique is that not so happy. They saw another it has just been a recipient of a P5.5- threat to their dominance in the next billion windfall from the national electoral processes. government, the bulk of which was Well and good, for the province channeled through the Department of where the senator’s grandparents Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were from, a healthy competition is for the construction of new lateral good for everyone. roads to connect with neighboring Of course, it is an established provinces in the island of Panay. fact that the senator acknowledges

Funny though, it seems that she is the “Lady from Antique” in Antique DPWH district engineer the Senate. Detractors, however, say Gerald Pacanan, according to some Senator Legarda, fondly called media friends, thanked Cong. Paolo Loren by most if not all Antiqueños,

Inday Javier in a press conference for had been senator for a long time but

has not brought to Antique this kind of good news in the past.

Well, the good lady senator explained she i s t he f i nance committee chairman in the Senate now, on her last term, and this is why she was able to persuade, if not convince, department secretaries to allot more for Antique in the budget proposals for 2017.

She also made assurances that more will be coming in the next budget year if proposals are in place.

People are elated by t he developments prevailing and wish no end to the good things happening to their province. It would take a long time to enumerate every item in Senator Legarda’s checklist of projects she intends to micromanage to ensure that funds go to the right projects and programs.

And as we have noted, some people are not too happy about this development, as it seems to boost the performance of Antique governor Rhodora J. Cadiao, another performer. Well, as they say, with God nothing is impossible, and to the determined performers and workers, the impossible merely takes a little more time to accomplish.

But there is a hitch to the popularity of the Palaro in Antique. Just recently Provincial Board member Fernando Corvera presented an idea for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to send a letter of thanks to Secretary Briones for supporting and wishing Palaro a better deal in Antique, but some were not so energetic about it. Corvera withdrew his draft resolution. Better luck next time, huh?/

PN