By DANNY O. SAGUN

THE province now feels the effect of the strained relationships between and among our leaders particularly President GMA and former Speaker JDV. Rehabilitation efforts, many now say in regret, would have been much easier especially in sourcing out funds had the two leaders been on speaking terms.

We recall how the ousted House leader had moved to secure some P10 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation immediately after the killer 1990 earthquake and we think some P2 billion went to Pangasinan alone. With so much funds available that time, Dagupan City, which saw its roads and bridges badly damaged, easily recovered. The disaster was even described by a former mayor as “a blessing in disguise” as it gave chance for the city and nearby towns to benefit in terms of new infrastructures - roads, bridges, buildings, etc. Local officials, contractors, suppliers and private groups showed all happy faces with the big manna at hand that time.

Now we see only distraught faces especially among mayors who could hardly move with their very meager calamity fund to spare.

What can a P1 million or P2 million do with the extent of damage left by Cosme in their respective areas? They trooped to Urduja House to seek the governor’s help a few days after the typhoon and they went home empty-handed. Espino’s hands are tied too as he has only P65 million in calamity fund at his disposal.

With a dozen expected storms to hit the country yet, the provincial government could not use up that amount for the Cosme damages alone, conventional wisdom dictated..

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JDV’s absence in last Wednesday’s visit of GMA to Portic in Bugalon, Espino’s own barangay, could not be ignored as a simple missed chance. Second district Congressman Victor Agbayani’s no-show (He’s De Venecia’s unabashed ally) too only confirmed the fact that Pangasinan’s leaders now are so deeply divided.

Such disunity, at this time when Pangasinan is reeling from Cosme’s devastation, is very hard to accept. With no concerted effort to facilitate the province’s recovery, we think it would take several years to attain that, if it will come at all.

Such is the effect of partisan politics. Well, that has been the situation here - our political leaders could not unite especially during election time. And JDV personally saw that when he ran for president in 1998. He could not count on the full support of his provincemates. GMA too had a taste of it. In fact, she lost to the popular FPJ among the province’s electorate, simply because the leaders were disunited.

What we ask now is a semblance of unity among the leaders even at this time of need only, when reconstruction or rehabilitation of the province is a must. What we hear from them as words of unity and cooperation aired for public consumption are empty shibboleths, all sound and fury, signifying nothing.