‘US visa fever’ hits Pampanga officials

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga – A "US visa fever" seems to have hit senior provincial officials here amid reports that at least 30 of them are slated to join the entourage of Gov. Lito Lapid to Washington, D, Detroit and Las Vegas in the United States.

Gov. Lito Lapid, his wife Marissa and eldest brother, Rey Lapid, the vice mayor of Porac town, are set to fly to Washington, D today to kick off an eight-day sortie purportedly to raise funds for local projects and seek donations of hospital equipment.

Lapid’s son Mark, a provincial board member, left earlier with Jerome Tulio, a municipal councilor of Guagua, one of the targeted recipients of the donations.

There are conflicting reports though on whether public funds would be spent for the trip. Provincial information officer Bong San Pedro quoted human resources head Jesusa Goseco as saying that the provincial government would not shoulder the expenses of division chiefs and non-employees.

Provincial social welfare officer Lucia Gutierrez, who will be leaving with the Lapid family today along with Dr. Romeo Taruc of Angeles City, told The STAR that while their US trip is official, all members of Lapid’s party would be spending their own money.

She, however, said that provincial engineer Jay Macatuno, who is also joining the trip, volunteered to pay for her airfare and other expenses which she could not afford.

No one from the provincial capitol was available yesterday to confirm how many are applying for US visas for the trip, but sources said as many as 30 names were submitted to the US Embassy.

Gutierrez herself could not ascertain how many visa applicants are there. She said other members of Lapid’s party, including provincial administrator Benalfre Galang, will leave as soon as their visas are released.

She said the trip is upon the invitation of Capampangan communities in the US.