Redeem yourselves, Cebu PB members

Spineless. Yes, that's what the Provincial Board under outgoing Governor Gwen Garcia is spineless! And I am afraid that it will continue to be so, as it bows down to the whims and caprices of Gwen, even when she is out of power. After all, she remains to be the leader of One Cebu.

But who knows? Miracles happen. The members of the Provincial Board may finally gather enough strength to stand up to Gwen. As of now, there is no sign of that. That's why it's funny --and absolutely ridiculous-- that some board members rushed to defend the body's so-called integrity and independence when Cebu 3rd District Board Member Atty. Jiembo Borgonia sounded the alarm on the immoral and unethical attempt to pass the ?1.2 billion budget in the final hour before Gwen steps down from the Capitol, after being roundly defeated by Governor-elect Pam Baricuatro.

Why the rush? That's the common question raised by Cebuanos. Why not wait for Pam Baricuatro to take over and allow her to set her priorities? It turns out the supplemental budget has nothing to do with healthcare or any pressing needs of the people. It's completely self-serving as it will benefit the provincial board members, including Vice Governor-elect Glenn Soco. No wonder they salivate at the prospect of its passage-- ?1.2 billion is ?1.2 billion.

How could some of them now speak of defending the integrity of the Provincial Board when they allowed the body to become Gwen's rubber stamp? They are so subservient that if Gwen told them to jump off a building, their only question would be, “From which floor, ma'am?”

Borgonia did nothing wrong. He merely expressed his opinion that the attempt to pass the supplemental budget is unethical.

“I refuse to be part of a clear evident bad faith for the approval of this supplemental budget amounting to ?1.2 billion in total as requested by outgoing Governor Gwen Garcia that shall clearly hamper the administration of Gov. Pam Baricuatro,” Borgonia said.

Where is the attempt to cast the Provincial Board in a bad light in this statement? None! Why feel guilty or alluded to? Instead of calmly defending the supplemental budget with logic, the members of the PB chose to gang up on Borgonia, thinking they could embarrass him before the Cebuanos. It all backfired. The public's response was swift and brutal. The Provincial Board --led by the incurably timid Vice Governor Junjun Davide and marked by Glenn Soco’s rabid defense of Gwen-- succeeded in one thing: solidifying the public perception that the PB is spineless.

For the first time, they allowed their session to go live on Facebook. For years, discussions in the Provincial Board were never transparent --no Facebook live. But this time, they wanted to humiliate Borgonia. It did not help them that Borgonia remained calm throughout the proceedings. He was like a rock in the midst of a storm or a lion surrounded by barking dogs.

His tormentors? Guilt was written all over their faces --the kind of embarrassment you have not seen in years. They could not pin Borgonia down.

But I have good news for the members of the Cebu PB. You still have time to redeem yourselves. You will still be in the majority in the next three years. Either allow your souls to continue to rot, or stand on the side of the Cebuanos’ welfare --and allow history to be kinder to you! The choice is yours.