Roperos: Cebu heats up

Thursday, February 2, 2012

IT MIGHT be a bit too early for the scheduled mid-term elections next year to stir the political pot a-boiling, but the way it looks to me, when it comes to politics, time is of the essence. Nothing could be so soon, it could only be too late. And hence, in order not to be caught napping while potential opponents make hay as the political sun shines, one does a strategic anticipatory planning, renewing or undertaking new political alignments.

Thus, in the past days, yet on the first month of the penultimate year of the mid-term elections, we note with quiet vehemence the political play of various alliances formed in the 2010 elections that sort of lay inactive last year. But suddenly, though quietly, Cebu’s “resting” political creatures started to flex their inactive muscles again, as the congressmen of six districts of Cebu province, out of its seven, quietly met.

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Meeting over almost a week ago—Thursday night—at the Marco Polo Hotel in what one of them called as a “mere get-together,” the six congressmen naturally talked politics.

When the apparent headman of the group, second district Rep. Pablo Garcia, was asked what they talked about, he had reportedly said they talked about the political weather. “When politicians meet, they talk about politics.” Thereby indicating that their alliance is intact.

Third district solon Pablo John Garcia also affirmed that the six solons have continued to work together. He said nothing has “broken their alliance.

Certainly not loose talks and wishful thinking can break it.” The three other members of the group include fourth district’s Rep. Benhur Salimbangon, fifth district Rep. Red Durano, sixth district’s Rep. Luigi Quisumbing. Second district’s Rep. Eddie Gullas has his Alayon Party, which had ties with One Cebu in 2010, and this coalition has not been chopped up to now.

While the current existing local alliances have held, at the national level, the situation may change as the prevailing political condition at the national level may make a different turn over the coming months. Mark that the moment, the hibernating political candidates in 2010 have not yet indicated what plans they might have after 2013. Hence, what political steps they would take next year will definitely have a bearing in 2016.

The elder Garcia from the second district has reportedly admitted that the six solons have been “meeting regularly” whether in Manila or in Cebu.

But he declined to say anything about the possible configuration of the local alliances regarding the local scene, although the One Cebu Party solon are with the administration political group at the national level since they belong to the National Unity Party, which has coalesced with Liberal Party.

What seems clear though is that politics in Cebu is a free-wheeling one. The elder Garcia said that “forming alliances in Cebu is not new, and (that) they have been doing it for the past two elections.”