By
ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
Sangguniang Bayan Member Pompe D Guzman (left)… all allegations of anomalies denied. –MWBuzzpic by AP HERNANDEZ
MAMBULAO,
CamNorte: I never knew Mrs Susan Ong-Guzman, wife of Mambulao Sangguniang Bayan
Member Pompe D Guzman, from Adam, but during our chanced encounter last week at her public
market store, she poured out her heart’s aches to this complete stranger as if
tomorrow won’t come anymore.
Our
meeting was unexpected.
I
was looking for a shop that could plastic-laminate my PhilHealth ID that I got
while working my POEA exit clearance and my feet led me to a darkened shop
where the service was offered.
Greeting
an elderly woman behind the shop counter, I fished out my new, bare ID card and
handed it over to her.
For
quite some time, she concentrated on the fine print in the card, looked up and
said: Kayo po si Mr Alfredo P Hernandez ng Jose Panganiban Facebook at MWBuzz?
“Opo,”
I replied.
“Ako
po si Mrs Susan Ong Guzman, asawa po ni Konsehal Guzman ...”
I
froze.
“Matagal
ko na po kayong gustong makausap at nabuhayan po ako ng loob ng sabihin po ng
kaibigan ko sa Assessor’s Office sa munisipyo last week na nandito raw po kayo
sa Mambulao ...”
“At
magbuhat po ng araw na iyon, ipinagdasal ko po na sana’y magkita tayo ....”
Her
prayer for a desperate meeting with me was apparently answered. Immediately, I
knew why.
“Gusto
ko pong pabulaanan ang mga paratang na isinulat ninyo sa Facebook at sa MWBuzz
laban po sa aking asawang si Pompe D Guzman ... lahat pong iyon ay walang
katutuhanan ... napakabuting tao po ng aking asawa at talagang naglilingkod po
siya para sa kapakanan ng mga taga-Mambulao...”
“Sana po ay magawan po
ninyo ng kaukulang pagtutuwid ... masyado pong naapektuhan ang aking mga
anak... ang aming buong pamilya ...”
I
was touched.
Her
eyes welled and the few minutes that I expected would quickly burn out glowed
to almost an hour. It made me very uneasy.
First,
she denied the allegations that Guzman raked in money by servicing the
transport needs of the municipal government during ex-mayor William A Lim’s
time.
“Hindi
po totoo yan ... totoo pong ipinagamit namin sa municipio ang aming bus pero
nakarecord po sa munisipyo kung magkano ang rentang siningil namin ...
nagpahiram din po kami ng unit na walang siningil na bayad ... eto ay bilang
tulong namin sa munisipyo ...
“Hindi
rin po totoong kumita kami ng P800,000 sa pagpapagamit ng aming bus sa
municipio noong panahon ni Meyor Lim ...”
The
allegation was that Guzman and Lim made it appear that the bus service to the
public was for free, when in fact, Guzman collected an over charged bus hire
“under the table” that amounted to P800,000 over nine years.
I
told her that Guzman solicited two water pumps from Congressman Jojo Unico for
use in the Parang beach cleanup but the donations just disappeared in thin air
and the residents involved in the clean up along the beach told me they never
saw or heard of them (pumps).
“Hindi
po totoo yan... ang totoo, kami pa nga po ang namimigay ng mga water pumps ...
kabilang po diyan ang mga jetmatic pumps na napunta sa mga baranggay.
She
said Guzman did not have to approach Unico as CamNorte Governor Edgardo Tallado
has always been ready to provide such assistance to his party mates in
government.
“Noon
pong bumagyo nang malakas ... hindi po kami nagdalawang isip na tulungan ang
mga naapektuhang mga familya sa tabing dagat ... nang masunog po ang isang
bahagi ng poblacion, tumulong po kaming mag-asawa sa pag-apula ng apoy.”
“Iyon
pong mga taong inabutan ninyo dito sa tindahan kani-kanina lamang ay mga tao
pong humihingi sa aking asawa ng tulong pinansyal, panggmot at iba pang pabor
na sinisikap po naming maibigay.”
Another
item: Nagtangka ho kayong ma-corner and digital ID card business sa high school
at elementary school at ginamit ninyo ang inpluwensya in Konsehal (Guzman) …
pero hindi ito natuloy.
Reacting
to almost a jump, she said: “Ganito po yan …”
“Tutoo
pong gusto naming magnegosyo ng digital ID cards sa eskwela at dahil dito ay
nag-invest ho kami ng more than P100,000 sa ID making machine … nang maiset-up
po namin ang business na ito, bigla hong nagdesisyon si Mayor Dong Padilla na
gawing libre ang mga ID para sa mga bata.
“Ano
naman po ang mangyayari sa aming capital …? Ipinaalam po namin ang pangyayari
kay mayor at siya po ay humingi ng dispensa dahil hindi niya alam ang aming plano … pero nakiusap po
naman kami na ibigay na sa amin ang negosyo para sa replacement ng mga nawalang
ID at pumayag naman po siya..."
Mrs
Guzman said the school ID was good for “life”, meaning the student will use the
same ID until he/she graduated.
“Sa
ngayon po, naghahanap po kami ng negosyo para sa aming ID machine sa mga
kompanya sa Daet at mga schools para naman mabawi namin ang investment sa
equipment na ito …”
I
told her that Tallado gave the Mambulao-LP some P15,000 to fund the party’s
post-election activities and coursed it through Guzman because he was Tallado’s
“right hand man” for quite some time.
However,
the money that reached Walim, who is the party head in Mambulao, amounted only
P10,000.
Walim
confronted Guzman about this, telling him that Tallado sent P15,000 as his
assistance to the Mambulao LP.
“What
happened?”
From
that time, animosity over money gradually hovered over them.
However,
Mrs Guzman denied such incident ever happened.
“At
hindi rin po totoong nag-aaway sila tungkol sa pera.”
Guzman,
a re-electionist, is tipped to top the SB race in the next month’s local
election, a welcome news that lightened up Mrs Guzman’s face.
“Salamat
naman po at gusto pa siya ng mga tao ...”
Having
clarified all the issues against her husband, she finally decided to resume
working on my PhilHealth ID plastic lamination.
“Magkano
po?”
“Kinse
lang po ...”
Our
conversation officially ended when I picked up the P5 coin as change to my P20
bill.
Hailing
a tricycle, I was continually amused by those tears that broke in her eyes.
More
so with our chanced meeting that she said was orchestrated by a prayer.
She
must be telling the truth.
Hah!
William A Lim, vice-mayoral candidate (left) and Guzman during the night sortie at Purok 5, Baranggay Parang, recently ... together again after money squabble? - MWBuzzpic by AP HERNANDEZ
For
comments, email alfredophernandez@thenational.com.pg and alfredophernandez@y7mail.com
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