There was tension yesterday at the SP session hall at city hall. Councilor Plaridel Nava called out Councilor Rex Sarabia, the floor leader.
While councilors Romel Duron and Sedfrey Cabaluna were having a serious and heated discussion on the alleged illegal issuances of provisional authority for tricycles, the state of the city’s transport sector and the Local Public Transport Route Plan, Nava spotted Sarabia making an animated gesture of holding a box of popcorn and seemingly offered some to Councilor Leila Luntao.
Nava saw such gesture as improper and a mockery of the procedings. He stood up and told Sarabia, “Indi kamo diri magkutaw-kutaw.”
After the deliberation, the legislative body proceeded with the items in the agenda. However, before the first item, Sarabia made a statement reminding fellow legislators to maintain and observe proper decorum and avoid personalities in the debate and added, “Pati ako na buyayawan pa kaina.”
The term “na buyayawan” made Nava react. He again stood up and called out Sarabia.
“Kalain hambalon nga ginbuyayaw. Ginbuyayaw ka? Ginbuyayaw ka? Wala!” stressed Nava, seething with rage.
He attempted to walk toward Sarabia but eventually turned around and left the session hall for a while.
In a media interview after the session, Nava said he had intended to hit Sarabia but managed to hold himself back.
It wasn’t true that “gin buyayaw ko siya”, said Nava. He was merely calling Sarabia out, he stressed.
All is well that ends well
After the session was adjourned, Sarabia approached Nava and apologized, and was accepted by the latter.
Nava himself apologized to the public for his behavior.
“I appreciate the gesture of Councilor Sarabia. He was the first to reach out kag nag-apologize siya. Siguro na-misinterpret ‘ya lang nga lain ‘ya ang pamuyayaw, lain ‘ya ang pagsaway. Ako waay man ko namuyayaw, ginasaway ko lang siya nga nagaseryoso ang debatihay ni councilors Cabaluna and Duron, tapos ga-gesture siya nga gakaon sia popcorn. Gin-imbitar ‘ya pa si Councilor Luntao nga makaon popcorn,” said Nava.
He also extended his apologies to Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon who was the presiding officer, to the family of Councilor Sarabia and to his fellow councilors.
“Kilala man ‘ko sang mga taga-syudad nga pikon. Gamay pasensya ko especially, if I know I am right. Waay gid to malisya ang akon. Indi ta gusto nga ginakutaw-kutaw ang konseho nga seryoso ang gina-istoryahan… I apologize to the public for that behavior,” Nava added.
For his part, Sarabia said it was not his intention to mock the proceedings
“Ako, personally from a legal standpoint, ga-enjoy ‘ko sa ila nga diskurso kay maalam kag intellectual nga diskurso. I mean that is democracy in action…,” he said.
He added that his gesture (eating popcorn) was only equivalent to smiling./PN