Weathering politics

PUBLIC SERVICE Announcement from Angeles City LGU:

After thorough discussion with the ACDRRMO and Vice Mayor Bryan Matthew Nepomuceno, I, Mayor Edgardo D. Pamintuan hereby declare the suspension of classes on ALL LEVELS (public and private) in Angeles City on Sept 13-15 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) in anticipation of the adverse effects brought about by Typhoon Ompong.

BE safe, Angeleños.

There is full sunlight coming through my window as I started writing this – 7:35 a.m. Sept. 13, Thursday at St. Jude Village, City of San Fernando.

The expected – aye, predicted – over-200 kph winds and torrents of rain once Ompong entered the Philippine area of responsibility still a figment of PAGASA’s imagination. Or, mayhaps, this is but the proverbial lull before the deluge.

Still, and all, the Angeles City LGU is not taking any chances. Having been thoroughly drenched in public outbursts over class suspension – when the sun shone brightest, and non-suspension – when the city was inundated, with the onset of successive typhoons and the southwest monsoons only last July.

Sala sa lamig, sala sa init. The city government made there. This time, they know better. Maybe, even best. As they have taken out of their present announcement any reference to PAGASA altogether.

At the time of monsoons past, VM Nepomuceno, in his capacity as acting mayor while Pamintuan was in some official mission abroad, posted in his and the city’s official Facebook account:  

 July 18, 5:54 a.m. ADVISORY: Good morning po. Considering the 4 a.m. forecast of PAGASA that there will only be light to moderate rain showers in Angeles City, and the advice of our Disaster Risk Reduction Monitoring Team that there are no threats of flooding, classes in all levels have NOT been SUSPENDED. Please be advised to still bring umbrellas and rain coats to stay dry and safe. Thank you.

For PAGASA’s failed forecast – the skies opened up with the proverbial dogs and cats – Nepomuceno metaphorically drowned in the online deluge of denunciation and damnation by a citizenry drenched to the bone.

A sampling, I gathered and pasted in a column I wrote at that time:

Kaya kayo naba-bash kasi tanga mag-announce. Pag umuulan, may pasok. Pag di umuulan, walang pasok. Ayaw niyo may nagrereklamo pero ganyan dapat ninyo.

Itatanong ko lang po kung immortal po ba ung mga taga-Angeles.

Tagal namin naghintay ng announcement. Hindi sa ayaw namin ng walang pasok pero ba’t gano’n? Kaka-iba ya talaga ing Angeles.#AgyuTamungMabasa

Tindi mo naman Vice. NOT SUSPENDED? Pero hayan, mga school principals na ang nagsuspend ng classes dahil sila ang nakakaalam na mahihirapan ang mga bata sa ulan o baha!

Paano ba naman maiintindihan ng mga yan e rich kid sila e, di naman nababasa mga yan na nagko-commute kagaya ng karamihan. Laging naka-service, kulang nalang buhatin ng mga kasambahay nila.

So, feeling nyo concerned na kayo nyan? Stop being apathetic.

Napaka-unfair nyo. Nakaka-inis kayo, palibhasa kase sarap ng buhay nyo! Mga anak nyo kasi nasa magandang paaralan! Kapag nag cancel kayo may araw! kapag bumabagyo na dun may pasok.

This time, it was Mayor Pamintuan himself that declared the suspension of classes.

This as much to keep his constituents safe as to save Nepomuceno from yet another political backlash as impacted upon his non-suspension of the same last July. Call me malicious, but I sense some political moves here.

BE safe, Angeleños. Pamintuan exhorted. Not so subliminal, but outright political the BE there. The tandem of Brian-Edu for 2019 pushed by you-know-who. As in those postings of BElievED in the web.

BE safe from them Angeles. Did I just hear ABEKa whisper?

Whatever, it’s now 8:30 a.m. and the sun is still brightly shining.