Changing places

The first thing to go was the shelf. And what a huge space it left. I should be happy having more room to salsa (given that I know how) but don’t feel like dancing. The steel cabinets went next. I never knew I am capable of growing an attachment to such cold, rusty furniture, until the day I saw them emptied and carted away. I was on the verge of losing it, if not for the assurance that the DSL will remain.

Room 606 of the Philippine Senate is what we call home for more than five years. Babies were born there. Colleagues died there. We slept, ate, partied, fought, made up, cried, laughed, gossiped in the many corners of that office. This is where I spent countless anxiety-filled days waiting for the fate of a press release. This is where I developed a dependence on coffee and discovered the wonders of peer to peer downloading.

Last month, my boss, Sen. Franklin M. Drilon, publicly announced that he is honoring the gentlemen’s agreement he made with Sen. Manny Villar, and that come July 24, he will nominate him as the next Senate president. Being the incumbent SP for more than five years made Drilon’s watch the longest in post-EDSA years.

Our new home will just be a floor down. It will be smaller. It doesn’t have an adjacent ceremonial hall and conference room. The neighborhood promises to be rowdier as it is where most of the senators’ offices are. I expect to meet new faces as I walk along the parquet hall way and primed to develop new friendships along the way.

The chance to serve the No.3 man of the country will always be a highlight of my young professional life. I can only pray that we will be blessed with more public servants like him. Because that is just what we need– leaders who truly deserve the taxpayers’ money.

To the new occupants of Room 606, I wish they would have as much fun as I did, if not more. And may the spirits that dwell within be as friendly.

Advertisement