Colada delivers speech in Capitol as Janiuay SB denies request
Ex-officio Board Member Cecilia Colada
gestures after delivering her privilege
speech in yesterday's session of the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
An emotional Ex-Officio Board Member Cecilia Colada delivered a privilege speech in the Capitol yesterday. As originally planned though, it would have been before peers in the Janiuay Sanggunian Bayan (SB) instead of peers in the 9th Iloilo Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP).
Why the change of venue? Colada who heads the Philippine Councilors’ League – Iloilo Chapter was denied the privilege in said town. This as a belated order was issued demanding that as a prerequisite to the speech, advance copies must be furnished to the Janiuay SB Secretariat. No advance copies, no privilege speech.
At the center of Colada’s concern was last week’s incident during the town session where she was apparently humiliated at the midst of the proceedings.
“So The Public May Know,” Colada’s speech went where she opened by highlighting the denial of her privilege in Janiuay SB.
“…this is one particular privilege hour that I truly feel privileged. And for a reason, too that sadly, I had to learn the hard and demeaning way in my hometown, Janiuay, Iloilo,” Colada began. “ To be specific about it, the morning of February 9th during the regular session of the Janiuay Sangguniang Bayan of which I am a proud member thereof.”
Colada then went ahead to lay down what transpired thereafter saying such “…by far, the lowest of my moments as elected official, president of the Philippine Councilor’s League – Iloilo Chapter and member of the Janiuay SB.”
“At the center of that experience is the noble Gawad Kalinga or GK project. We all know the mission and vision of the GK movers which is to provide homes for the homeless and dignity deserving of the less privileged Filipino families,” she continued. “As a backgrounder, the GK project in Janiuay began with a Memorandum of Agreement signed between the Janiuay Municipal Government and the benevolent Nene Consing, donor of the GK site. Like any other GK projects everywhere, it was or should have been a public and private partnership and collaboration. The GK spirit of building homes, rebuilding lives was not and never designed to be a trophy of one but an accomplishment of many. Yet not so, at least not anymore in Janiuay.”
Colada went ahead to cite a GK project manager, “…or supervisor or superwoman if I may refer to her who controls the operations and over-all construction in the Janiuay site. This Representation has no problem with that per se. What I have against is the turn of events that allowed this superwoman to trample on the rights and dignity of whoever crosses her path. The rights and dignity of this Representation and to make it worse, in the very halls of the Janiuay SB.”
“I do not want to dignify her by mentioning her name but I want to dignify the undignified manners she had before the august body of the Janiuay SB.. She was officially invited to shed light on the GK project and this Representation asked the very basic question – May we know the donors and extent of donations so a Resolution of Thanks be made. The answer? And I quote, 'That is none of your business! Who the hell do you think you are?',” Colada said. “Shamed, attacked and ridiculed before the August Body in Janiuay, this Representation was further shamed when told no, no such privilege unless an advance copy of that privilege speech be furnished.”
And the speech denial, Colada added, now led to her fears that “there is more to come, more to question not only in the GK project implementation but on other projects designed to alleviate the less privileged of my hometown.”
“I fear nga ang grasya naga ka disgrasya sa amon banwa. I fear that at the expense of our less fortunate families, exploitation is happening. What is wrong in asking? Nothing. What is not right is when the answers are not provided. To sum up this privilege to speak before you, this Representation extends an apology to the public for not standing up when shamed, attacked and humiliated before my peers in the Janiuay SB. After all, all battles need not be won. At times, it is enough to have put up a good fight,” she said.
In the end came yet an emotional message, “Yet let it also be stated and thank you to the members of the media who will make this possible – this Representation wants the Ilonggo populace to know - shamed, attacked, humiliated and all – we shall not allow our less fortunate brothers and sisters be used to advance personal interests and greed of some. This Representation will not allow nga ang grasya mangin disgrasya kag ang disgrasya mangin grasya. Thank you members of the 9th Iloilo SP for this privilege. “