ONE thing going against Gov. Victor E.Agbayani is that he is hard to reach, even by his fellow officials in the provincial government. The media have been complaining too as they do not have direct contact with the governor.
This issue was raised during the Patrima Kapihan at the Philippine Information Agency office last Thursday where his info officer Ruel Camba virtually admitted that he himself could not just contact the governor thru his cellular phone as he has to pass thru his appointments secretary, one Frank Reyes, to make one.
We recall one time we texted Vice-Gov. Oscar Lambino asking for Victor’s contact number as this writer had been asked by a superior to get his. The vice-governor had no reply; apparently he could not just give it to me or he himself does not have Victor’s number. We asked some media friends like Orly Navarro and Joel Balolong. Negative, they replied. Eva Visperas’ reply was quite interesting: “Only God knows Victor’s number.”

This only shows frustrations by many of us in the media who by the nature of our job try to seek an immediate reaction or reply from Victor to an event or an issue at hand involving the provincial government or the governor himself. Most of the time his underlings like Provincial Administrator Boy Solis and Camba are heard speaking in his behalf.
Well, we cannot entirely fault the governor for not giving his cell number to anyone requesting for it. Or that he is changing Sim cards every now and then. Almost all cellphone buffs do that.
Ruel, trying to defend his boss for that hard-to-reach-image, told the Kapihan that protocol and security likewise dictate that callers have to go thru a process before seeing or contacting the governor. Callers have their day, usually Friday, at the Urduja House. Caller slips are numbered so a latecomer has to wait for his turn. That’s the system going on for years and that dates backs to the time of Victor’s father, the late Aguedo.
Ruel admits that he has many cell numbers of the governor in his phonebook so that he does not know which is the present or active one. Before he calls him on the cellphone, he has to ask Reyes first if Victor is available and which number he is using.
Oca and the board members’ access to Urduja reportedly ends with Boy Solis particularly when the governor is not around, so we heard. Boy does not deserve that “Little Governor” compliment if he does not have Victor’s confidence, right?
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One other issue that Camba clarified is about so-called 15-30 personnel or consultants. He said that he was approached by some media friends of his asking for favor like being ghost employees. Victor’s position was a big No. If they want to work with the provincial government, then they should work like other provincial employees.
Could that be one reason why Victor is not really getting a good press? Not all mediamen are like that though. Sensible members of the media write or report news as it should be written or reported without any consideration for a favor or, uh, an envelope.