A governor celebrates his birthday

THERE’S no way one would have forgotten Zambales Governor Vicente Magsaysay’s birthday last Saturday. There were constant reminders all over the province. Banners saying “Happy Birthday, Govic” were strung on trees on the main highway, or strapped on facades of government offices throughout the province, with various local officials or government unit claiming authorship.

Indeed, it was not a birthday to be missed. It began with a lunch that was open to the public in a resort in Bangantalinga, in Iba, the capital. The governor, who turned 67 last Saturday, did not have to work hard to draw in the crowds for a program later that night, attended by common folk and government workers from the province’s 13 towns. On stage were Manila-based stars like the Baywalk Bodies, Masculados, EB Babes, comedienne Giselle Sanchez, and Bobby Soul, an original member of the singing group, The Platters. Traffic in front of the capitol and the adjoining plaza was rerouted to accommodate the over 5,000 people who started flocking in as early as 5 p.m.

The party ended at 3 a.m., as people stayed up for the piece de resistance: a raffle. The governor raffled out a Mercedes Benz 350, a mini van and a light duty truck. Those who attended the party said the car was previously owned and used by the governor himself. Locals add that in a previous birthday, Magsaysay also gave out as many as 12 motorcycles.

TV performers do not come cheap. An out of town assignment may fetch a fee each of P20,000 upwards.

Actress Giselle Sanchez says she accepted a very minimal fee for her participation in the party, which she in turn donated to her foundation. She refused to comment further, saying she is a long-time friend of the Magsaysays.

It wasn’t the first time that stars from Manila were brought to Zambales for the governor’s birthday. It will be recalled that in 2005, sexy star Ana Leah Javier charged Rep. Antonio Diaz with sexual harassment. That scandal broke out after Javier’s performance during the governor’s party, for which she was allegedly hired by the congressman for P50,000.

Zambales is a second class province. Of its 13 towns, five are third class and four are fourth class in income category. Its income is mainly pulled up by the business activities in Subic and Olongapo.

PCIJ tried to get the governor’s reaction for days, but he was unavailable for comment.

Magsaysay has been governor of the province since 1998. He held the same position several times in the past, beginning in 1967. In his 2002 statement of assets and liabilities (SAL), he reported a net worth of P4.5M. He owns stocks in nine companies, and listed no liabilities. His SAL was also silent on vehicle ownership.

(Jaileen Jimeno is the PCIJ’s new deputy executive director. She came on board this January. She used to work as Program Manager of GMA Network where she handled the public affairs shows “Imbestigador,” “Debate,” and “Lovely Day.”)