By: Jun Lira
The role of a chief executive or a governor is always
associated with machismo which, in some cases, is coupled with a devil-may-care
attitude that sometimes jeopardizes the welfare of the people. And this was
proven a number of times when impulsive and war-freak LGU heads made hasty
decisions which eventually led to tragic results like in the Rizal Park
hostage-taking incident in Manila last year which resulted to the killing of
eight (8) Hongkong nationals.
On the other hand, the role of a
mother is always to provide a safe and secure home or environment for her
children. She would always lay her life for the welfare of her family.
Yes, the role of a governor and
that of a mother are miles away in comparison. But when a governor happens to
be a mother herself, we always find that tough job being humanized and her
decisions handed down only after a thorough circumspection.
Last Monday (October 3), Gov.
Sol Matugas, a mother herself, had humanized the role of a governor by making a
very tough decision in requesting for a SOMO (Suspension Of Military Operation)
and thereby prevented bloodshed from an impending battle between government and
rebel forces in Claver town after the latter had raided three mining companies
and burned hundreds of equipments, machineries and properties worth three
billions of pesos.
We understand the wisdom in the
decision of the lady governor. She was not only successful in preventing a
looming armed fight to escalate and victimize innocent civilians but, in the
process, was successful in protecting the lives and welfare of the people of
Claver as well.
And this is best described in
the exclusive interview conducted by Fryan Abkilan, on DTI
Provincial Director Celestino Negapatan, a member of the Provincial Peace and
Order Council, which is quoted hereunder:
“Negapatan: She’s the governor
and she has the moral and political ascendancy here. Anybody outside the
province cannot make the decision because military decisions, apparently, are
made outside the province. During the discussions there at the office of the
governor, she was informed that there were “insertions.” There was a helicopter
-- there were some skirmishes. She felt that her commitment to halt or prevent
military operation, until the safety of the people in Claver are assured, was
undermined by that operation -- by that decision to send in troops. She was
trying to be very emphatic about her decision. On the other hand, my
understanding was that Sec. Robredo was trying to justify also why the
PNP/military had to take those actions. In fact, he said that Gen. Reynaldo
Rafal was pinned down/ambushed in Kitcharao therefore it was natural to react
and so on and so forth. But the governor emphasized that it’s not about
Kitcharao, it was about Claver. The governor was very emphatic, so when she
looked at us (we’re together with some of the members of the Crisis Management
Committee), I agreed on her… She is a leader.”
“When I said she is a leader, I
was looking at Board Member Simeon Castrence because, when I said that, he (Castrence)
also said that it’s a conscience decision. That’s why I said she is a leader
because a leader after all is concerned about her people -- that’s it! It was
so evident the governor was really concerned of the welfare of the people in
Claver. The safety of the people in Claver was the paramount consideration
regardless of whether there was no military operation, there was no reaction,
nothing. It’s the safety and you can gauge a leader by that kind of decision.”
Truly, Director Negapatan has
best described the kind of a leader Gov. Sol Matugas is made of.
For us, what the lady governor
did was a motherly act that would be treasured and would linger forever not only
in the minds and hearts of our people in Claver but also to the entire people
of our province as well.
After all, we know that her being a governor is only a temporary
occupation while her mothering of our province is a lifelong commitment we now
begin to cherish...
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