A week after it evaded the governor’s request for authority to enter into project implementation agreements with national agencies, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has finally agreed to give the requested authority and, to the surprise of only a few, to hold marathon hearings to approve the long-delayed 2026 provincial budget within the first two weeks of March.
How the SP majority, led by Vice Governor Robert A. Fernandez, and Governor Patrick Alain T. Azanza arrived at mutually acceptable decision can be attributed largely to the former’s unwavering stance on certain budgetary allocations and the latter’s recognition of the fact that his proposed budget will not pass intact without the provincial board’s approval.
And then there was the public pressure, mostly on social media and from the local Catholic church, for both sides to reach common ground for the sake of their constituents.
The cordial atmosphere at last Monday’s regular session on the 2026 appropriations and the two sides’ commitment on the issue, as well as the request for authority to enter into separate Memoranda of Agreement with several national agencies, would soften the expected harsh criticism of the personalities involved in the Capitol feud in the People Power Trillion Peso March led by the church set this Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
To be sure, what made the two sides come together on the budget and the authority requested was not as simple as that.
People who are intimately familiar with the workings of the provincial government always knew the months long wrangling would eventually come to a conclusion that would satisfy both the legislative and executive branches.
When the chief executive accepted the invitation of the SP to meet on the proposed budget, Gov. Azanza recognized that he would have to bring something to the table so to speak.
And, indeed, that something was laid out on the table during the closed-door meeting between the governor, the vice governor and the provincial board members.
While it would be very easy to guess what was on the table during the hush-hush huddle between the opposing parties, we leave it to the imagination of the public who are mostly aware of how politicians of all stripes managed to win during elections.
The quid pro quo arrived at during the SP session does not in any way diminish the need for every Catandunganon to be ever vigilant against graft and corruption and to make sure that local leaders are made accountable for shenanigans like overpriced procurements and substandard infrastructure during their terms of office.
Even today, seven months after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made his “Mahiya naman kayo!” call on legislators and their favored contractors, there are still public works projects in the Happy Island that merit scrutiny and official investigation.
The People Power Trillion Peso March may indeed raise public awareness of their responsibility as citizens and taxpayers to demand honesty and accountability from their elected leaders.
But placards and rousing speeches against political dynasties and rampant corruption will only last for a day or so like posts on social media that disappear once a new trend or issue comes up.
What is needed is for someone or a group of like-minded people or the Church to organize an independent body composed of credible individuals with proven competence and integrity who would spearhead a campaign for good governance and against corruption, including the filing of cases.
As almost everyone listens when money talks, the members of such a body should hear only the people’s cry for justice and accountability.
Now, where do we find such people of probity?