ILIGAN City ― “I think we women have gone a long way since.” I said to my friend Fely. We were facing each other inside the office as her boss a dentist was not around. “That VAWC thing? It’s really good.'” I cleared my throat and then continued: “And I remember that quote about a woman too; women have one advantage over men, if she can’t play it smart, she plays it dumb.”
“Yeah,” Fely agreed. “But here’s another thing being played by politicians and their allies. “They play it invisible.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, mystified. “I think you got something there…”
“Do you remember that PBBM was ‘invisible’ sometimes during the campaign period, especially during those debates? He played it invisible at times. And then mayor Regencia too. And they won.”
“Maybe they won not because of their being invisible at times, but in spite of it.”
Maybe, Fely wasn’t sure. “But look at this contractor of this so-called modern market at Palao. He played invisible all the time!”
“What?”
“Yes, from the start, the contractor really played it invisible. Helped mostly by the politician friends.”
“That’s an outright accusation. But maybe, you’re just right.”
“During that press conference, he wasn’t shown to the public even if the construction was about to start. Because it might not seem right then to show them and the leadership gave some lame reason like some officials in the opposition might ask how much.”
“Ha?”
“And then when BM Marketing was about to begin, their equipment rolling into the city couldn't be seen. Even if they're not from the city.”
Fely cleared her throat and then continued. “And then by and by on the site materialized a high red-colored fence and the workers there couldn’t be seen inside. Enhancing the invisibility aspect of the contractor.”
“The fencing there might be required. For the peoples’ safety,” I said.
“But why did it have to be so tall?” She wondered. And it got me wondering too. The fence around the site was too tall. Too tall for suspicious people, I thought.
“And then for a long, long time, it could not be finished.”
“Because of the pandemic, they say. And it had to be extended six times, as of the last counting,” I said.
“And because of that, the SP here had to investigate. Because of the request of BM for another extension and per the reckoning of this new admin this will be the 7th extension. It seems they’re fed up with these extensions as the vendors of the temporary market at Tambo are already restless. Because the completion is long overdue.”
“But in the investigations, of the SP last Dec. 9. the contractor could not be present. Because per the report, he’s unvaccinated. So he couldn’t do some traveling.”
“Why couldn’t he be present virtually, like what some government officials are doing if they could not be bodily present during the investigations?”
Fely thought it over. “You’re right there, my friend. The contractor could have done that. But he's so adept in playing it invisible,” my friend added.
“Yes, I think they're not only playing it invisible…”
“They’re also playing it dumb,” my friend said remembering what I said at the outset.
We laughed only a little for this isn’t any laughing matter anymore as we were wondering, who’s playing dumb now. Is it only the contractor but also this new administration under city mayor Frederick Siao?
Email: norasorino2@gmail.com
