NO MORE SWAP? There’s some talk that Cebu sixth district Rep. Jonas Cortes might not run for reelection as congressman. Instead, he’d run for city mayor.
Is there an agreement between him and Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing to swap places again, as there was in 2016 when Jonas was mayor and Luigi was congressman? In 2016, Luigi still had one congressional term to run for while Jonas already reached the three-term limit. The swap solved the problem.
Now with barely one mayor’s term for Luigi and one congressional term for Jonas by next year, they’d change seats again?
Not if Mayor Luigi would like to continue his job: he has a lot of good things going in that city, or so his supporters say. It’s not just a case of one party, say Jonas, wanting to return to City Hall. Luigi must go with the idea.
The alternative is a big fight between Luigi and Jonas, no longer the sweetheart pact of 2016.
Ammo vs. Cortes
CITY RECORDS. The persistent talk before the current development in Mandaue politics is that Jonas wouldn’t wish to tangle with Luigi because the current mayor has had access to records at City Hall, including material that could be used against Jonas in the campaign.
That would depend on whether Jonas had anything foul to hide and whether it wouldn’t be weakened by the fact that Luigi has not acted on it since he assumed office, if indeed it exists.
A more crucial factor in a Cortes vs. Quisumbing match, though, is how Mandauehanons would compare Luigi’s three years with Jonas’s nine years as mayor--and how Jonas has been doing as congressman also in his first year.
Eddiegul, Samsam
IN TALISAY CITY. More probable is the switching of places between Talisay City Mayor Eddie Gullas and first district congressman Samsam Gullas. Eddiegul for congressman and Samsam for mayor in 2019?
Eddiegul would still have two terms as mayor while his grandson Samsam would have one more as congressman.
Why the exchange of seats? Eric S. Manait of dyCM radio quipped about the House losing its allure with the abolition of the pork barrel.
Eddiegul might prefer the less harried work of a legislator to the daily rigor of a city mayor. The downside for Eddiegul is campaigning in the entire district, not just one city. But the Gullases have such popular support in their turf that it wouldn’t be hard work anymore for either of them to win.
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