SHE IS NOT CALLED “Iron Lady” for nothing. It’s a moniker tagged on her, not that she liked it but people in the city call her such because she is fearless.
Any issue she finds with lapses she right away takes to the floor and head-on questions the discrepancy right there and then. Whoever is the proponent is of no moment; it may be a colleague of hers in the same party or a political foe from the other fence.
Don’t ever question her integrity on the floor. If the darer lacks the ammunition, he or she will find himself or herself in the gutter filled with stinking vegetation.
The diligence of this woman as an educator before she joined politics is legendary has been sharpened through the years. She can tackle any issue under the sun. She can be an engineer, a doctor, a lawyer or a brusque street hoodlum rolled into one depending on who she is engaging with.
Decades ago she figured in an intense argument with another lady legislator; it almost led to a fistfight right in the hall filled with audience had cooler heads not intervened. In fairness to both of them, they were just being passionate with their respective causes. Of course, each had story to tell, one maybe right, the other maybe wrong. At the end of the day it was patched up but only momentarily. In subsequent days and months it became worse. Had Facebook existed then, it could have gone viral.
Perla then never ran out of issues to share with the media. She was always a good source of news worthy to write about if one was in need of a scoop. Seldom a story of hers landed on the inside pages of newspapers because most often than not it deserved front page treatment if not a banner headline.
Perla brings with her a lot of ammunitions every time she takes on a colleague for a certain issue she finds advantageous to the people of the city. She is a walking encyclopedia, a natural investigative reporter by heart, mind and spirit. When she talks, everybody listens attentively, making sure they wouldn’t miss a single word of wisdom from this lady – a rarity that can hardly be found from today’s breed of legislators.
After decades of serving the public she found tranquility by just being a simple mom to all her grown up children. She wanted them to be on their own. As a mother she is a disciplinarian who wouldn’t settle for mediocrity.
Away from political intrigues she decided to quit the limelight and let her daughter continue what she started; not necessarily to clone her but to shine on her own merits.
But just when she’s already enjoying her retirement out of the blue incumbent mayor Joe Espinosa III invited her to join him to fill the congressional slot of his 2019 election lineup.
Perla was initially reluctant, knowing fully well that the slot was originally intended for someone else. But after all of Espinosa’s efforts failed, Perla gave her nod. After all, politics is in her blood, and the ultimate goal is to serve the public, nothing less, and nothing more.
What an awesome way to honor the come-backing Iron Lady. (roblesnelson339@yahoo.com.ph/PN)
