By Venus May H. Sarmiento

“TOO much politics, too little work, too little development” was how Governor Victor Agbayani described the current political crisis in the country during the Pangasinan Tri-Media Association (Patrima) media officers’ courtesy call on the governor Thursday.

Agbayani said he and other local officials can feel the pressure especially in the constant and abrupt changes of cabinet secretaries where local officials are often called in because each new secretary would have a project of his own.

“We are always beginning, always planting, never harvesting the fruits of the program. and this is the same thing in politics”, Agbayani quipped.

When asked about the DENR suspension of all timber license agreements (TLAs) in the Ilocos Region provinces, including Pangasinan, he said there has never been logging in Pangasinan. What is seen here, he said, is the kaingin farming and this is what the provincial government is trying to counteract.

“The provincial government identified hectares of land and we give the custody to the Integrated Social Forestry Cooperative and we give them seedlings which they take care for many years and then they harvest the fruits”, Agbayani explained the reforestation program briefly.

Asked jestingly by the mediamen if his smile is the ‘smile of a 2007 Congressman’, Agbayani said he is asking the same question to himself but he has not found the answer yet.

“We will wait for the dust to settle” the governor added. “Imagine all these proposals, political crisis and jockeying for positions. We will wait for the dust to settle then we will see the situation.”

Agbayani said he has talked to ‘old timers’ and most of them said the (political) situation is more dangerous now than before martial law. “People are more confused now than during the time of pre-martial law”, he added.

Patrima convenors led by Chief Convenor Behn Fer. Hortaleza, Jr. and the new set of officers led by newly-elected President Bernie Errasquin paid their courtesy call to the governor a few hours after he delivered his State of the Province Address at the sanggunian panlalawigan session hall and meeting New Year courtesy callers at Urduja House.