By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
UNIQUELY delivered! No script, just ticklers, but full of emotions. Non-rhetorical but packed with relevant adlibs.
I am referring to the “100 Days Report” of Silay City’s Mayor Joedith Gallego which he delivered before Silaynons at the city’s public plaza in the afternoon of Oct. 11.
For the very first time in my 27-year media career, I saw a mayor in Negros Occidental who delivered his 100 Days Report in Hiligaynon. Relatable, understandable and truly beyond the usual!
Asked why in Hiligaynon, the mayor explained: “Kay dali maka-relate ang tawo. Kon mag-English ko basi magsala pa ko kag kadlawan ko sang mga tawo.”
But why he’s so confident in his delivery?
“Kay ang akon ‘ya matuod-tuod lang nga serbisyo. Kag ginapangamuyu-an ko ni ‘ya sa Diyos nga ang tanan ko nga buhaton dapat para gid sa kaayuhan sang tawo. So, amo na nga confident ko ‘ya mag-hambal sa atubang sang sin-o man sang akon mga binuhatan,” he quipped.
Amazing, as in!
But prior to his report, Mayor Joedith also wowed his audience by dancing first to the tune of ala “Limbo Rock”. One of a kind, indeed!
If other Negros mayors seriously reported their “major, major accomplishments” in various fields like infrastructure, health, etcetera, Mayor Joedith simply made an “indelible breakthrough”.
His was highlighted by two “strange” orders that really caught my-slash-public attention:
* Bawal ang suplado/suplada nga empleyado/empleyada sa Ciudad sang Silay.
* Tanan nga comfort rooms (CRs) sa City Hall dapat may toilet paper.
Of the two, I think, the most intriguing is about toilet paper. He’s the only mayor in Negros that included toilet paper in his accomplishment report.
Others may laugh or raise their eyebrows. But wait, Mayor Joedith is, perhaps, an exception. When he justified his “outlandish order” about toilet paper, I can’t help but be awed with his superb logic.
CHOLERA OUTBREAK
Silay is currently facing a cholera outbreak. Having five confirmed cases with one fatality is no joke. Thus, with the guidance from the Provincial Health Office (PHO), the mayor recently declared such an outbreak.
The mayor said he wanted to instill consistency in the practice of proper hygiene among Silaynons.
The proper use of toilet paper in the CRs of City Hall, among other government offices in Silay, is therefore a must.
Too, Mayor Joedith wants all Silaynons, particularly those from far-flung and coastal villages, to be properly accommodated at City Hall “with a smile”, and with toilet paper in every CR.
Kinda weird but he has a point, right? Toilet paper may be a simple thing but it is a tangible symbol of a “warm welcome” for poor Silaynons using the CRs at city hall. Most of them aren’t familiar with it.
As strange as it may seem, until today rural folks, after defecation, just clean themselves up with whatever is handy – stick, leaf, stone, etc. Yeeouch, but true!
In Negros Occidental, open defecation (OD), especially in rural barangays, remains a “headache”, confirmed by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang.
Thus, Dr. Tumimbang stressed they’re hyping their zero open defecation (ZOD) campaign via “A Toilet in Every Household” program.
Attached to this program, he added, is an appeal to every family in the province to observe clean water, sanitation and hygiene practice all the times.
FOR COVID-19, TOO
Mayor Joedith’s “toilet paper mandate” could also be best for preventing the spread of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19).
A medical doctor in a government hospital in Silay said, “Quite waggish, but with a meaningful bearing at the present time.”
The doctor then cited Australia when there’s panic buying for toilet paper in early March of 2020.
Also this doctor stressed toilet paper is now likened to a “diamond” in every CR.
That’s why the “poorest of the poor” in Silay might be delighted by Mayor Joedith’s standing order about toilet paper.
It contributes to improved hygiene, comfort and convenience./PN
