Dropping by the Sangguniang Panlungsod…

by Marciano A. Paroy, Jr.

As Marlon Carbonel and I were waiting for Councilor Alma Sandra U. Mejia at the frontage of the SP wing of the city hall for our brief meeting regarding Miss Matagoan 2009, our attention was fully clutched by the on-going construction of the new city hall. We expressed how big it is, and that when it would soon house all the offices within the sphere of authority of the city government, there would be no more running around from one building to another.
To drive the fact home: it is big, and one can’t help but be proud that Tabuk would one day boast of a city hall which is one of the biggest – at least among the new cities, known as the League of 16 in their open letter to the Supreme Court (which emotionally calls for reconsideration).
Of course, big cities have far bigger city halls. Like the tall Makati City Hall, or Quezon City with an imposing 14-storey city hall which, aside from being the center of the city government, also houses other national government agencies.
When one looks at the artistic rendering of the Tabuk City Hall being constructed (which is plastered as the banner of the official website of Tabuk, courtesy of the website designer and administrator Nathaniel Dalanao), one gets the feeling of wanting to go in, and roam through the halls.
We just hope that when it shall have been finished, we no longer would see some employees who have this current annoying habit of standing by the back entry, giving cursory glances to people who come and go with their transactions. As a fellow government worker, I sometimes get the feeling that things are not fair. We get to work our ass off from 8 AM to 5 PM, while others have a lot of free time spent on staring into space – oh well, staring at the iron gates near the post office.
*****
Back to the scene began above.
While waiting for Madam Councilor Sandra, another Councilor joined us at our tambayan corner – Councilor Glen Wansi. I seized that moment to grill him with questions regarding his already anticipated filing for a position that is going to be vacated by someone who would be vying for that level directly above this someone’s present post (There, I hope I muddled you enough to be lost in your deduction).
But Hon. Wansi played the dodging game by refusing to be definite. He said, “Those rumors that you hear remain to be rumors. There are clamors from some quarters that I should consider what you are insinuating, but until we reach that final moment of having to submit what needs to be submitted… well, then things remain to be studied.”
“Well said, Konsehal,” I quipped, as though it were a beauty pageant.
Whatever Councilor Wansi may finally set his eyes on, this column wishes him well.
*****
It was then that Madam Councilor Sandra arrived – breathtaking in her mono-chromatic lilac blouse and skirt coordinates. Monday, first working day of the week – one should really start the week right by dressing-up appropriately. With a hint of power, if one needs to – at least for those with managerial, administrative and leadership functions (for those who are confined to the Monday uniform, a well-groomed face should complete the effect – not necessarily with full makeup. As a slogan in Laoag City screams “Napintas a buya, naragsak a rupa”).
Madam Sandra, Marlon and I then had our swift meeting to finalize our schedule in meeting the candidates for Miss Matagoan 2009 and their handlers, before she went into the SB Hall to preside over the meeting – she is the Matagoan Festival Director for this year.
Well, the Mayor has just returned from Canada, and she might be reporting the details of what has been decided upon (with Vice Mayor Rainier Sarol as acting mayor) while the Mayor was away.
We then parted ways with the stunning councilor. As we again looked at the construction site of the new city hall, we noted that it will be a two-storey building with a total floor area of 4,100 square meters. It is rectangular in shape with a length of 108 meters.
But that is not the figure that we would be interested in, this beauty pageant season.
Instead, we’re looking for 36-24-36 vital statistics.