MANY years from now, long after the Leonardia administration had passed into history like a bad dream, succeeding generations of Bacoleños will rue the day when Leonardia constructed the new city hall on the Gonzaga property instead of the late congressman Romeo Guanzon’s land in Mansilingan. Or they might find a better use for the building by converting it into a hospital, which ironically, Bacolod does not have when smaller cities with smaller incomes already have theirs. In fact, I will not be surprised if future officials of Bacolod, seeing the folly of Leonardia, might choose to build another city hall in a more suitable place such as the Guanzon property in Mansilingan and convert Leonardia’s folly into a city hospital.

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Leonardia’s decision to construct the city hall on Gaunzon’s property is highly suspect. J.V. Tampinco, one of the owners of the property, didn’t think of donating it until a coffeeshop conversation at his hotel, the Business Inn, gave him the idea. Long before that, Leonardia had already floated his plan of putting up a new city hall and had in fact called for possible donors, to which former vice mayor Monju Guanzon, the late congressman’s son, promptly responded by offering their Mansilingan land. And his offer is not limited to a five-hectare donation. It also included the offer to sell, at a price lower than that prevailing in the market, an additional 5-hectares for an employee’s village and such other facilities the city may desire.

Crazy as it may seem, instead of responding to the Guanzon offer, Leonardia floated the idea of erecting his city hall on the Bacolod City High School grounds. Why the Guanzon offer was anathema to Leonardia is a question that needs looking into the history of his political association with Cong. Gaunzon. It is of public knowledge that Leonardia sought Guanzon’s sponsorship immediately offer the late Mayor Alfredo Montelibano Jr’s Paglaum Party, under whose sponsorship he began his political career, rejected his bid to run for mayor in 1995, preferring instead the late Mayor’s younger brother, former congressman and MBCCI head Bobby Montelibano.

Guanzon took Leonardia under his wing, only to feel betrayed too the way Jr. Montelibano felt, when the Bacolod Mayor reneged on his commitment to support Guanzon’s candidate, former president Joseph Estrada, in the 1998 elections. It is logical to believe that if Guanzon did not take leonardia under his wing in 1995, he would be back to his old Tourism job. Today, that is farfetched, of course. If rumors are to be believed, after almost 9 years as mayor, he is now a millionaire several times over.

If former governor Lito Coscullela is running for the office he once occupied, he better starts moving now. The deadline for the filing of COC’s is at the end of this month. Unlike the NPC, whatever party he chooses to run under is nothing more than a ragtag army in Negros Occidental. Even the Nationalistas, inspite of Villar’s visiting the province several times, is nothing more than a shadow of its former strength. The Liberal Party is in a worse predicament. Inspite of Mar Roxas’ identity with the province, its present leaders here are lightweights who are practically unheard of.

While it is true that Lito Coscolluela enjoys widespread support, he still needs an efficient organization to convert this support into votes on Election Day. Unless he successfully assembles from now to May 11, 2010, this support will come to nothing.

If he runs in tandem with Cong, Kako Lacson, then the third district would be relatively safe for him as Kako has a grassroot level political organization there. But how about the other districts? Unless he is able to recruit very strong congressional candidates in those other districts, his running for governor would be nothing more than an exercise in futility.