Notes on the filing of COCs
-A A +ASaturday, October 6, 2012
THERE was nothing much to be excited about on the last day of the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COCs) yesterday. Cebu City attracted people’s intention because of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) and Team Rama show of force, but beyond that nothing surprising surfaced, with the exception of one or two developments.
A few observations:
--Just as I expected, Raul del Mar and not his daughter, Rachel Marguerite or Cutie is running for the congressional post in Cebu City’s north district. I can dig out two reasons for this: one, Cutie has always been panakip-butas, one tasked to hold fort while her father waited until he is eligible to run again for Congress; two, the Annabelle Rama factor.
The BOPK and the del Mars may not say this, but Rama is slowly turning out to be a formidable opponent in the north district congressional race despite the many issues they can hurl against her (she’s “lowly” because she is showbiz, she doesn’t stay in Cebu for a longer period of time, she is facing charges resulting from her quarrelsome ways, etc).
But precisely because Rama is showbiz, she has the money and has the support of showbiz denizens. She is also the underdog. And she is a new face in north district politics. Rama therefore has a better chance of defeating Cutie, whose hold on north district political leaders is not that strong, than Raul.
--Councilor Augustus “Jun” Pe Jr. has finally filed his COC, testing the integrity of the constitutional provision on term limits (he is running for the same council seat, after holding it for three terms, but in another district). The other day, businessman Rex “Wakee” Salud filed his COC for the post of Cordova mayor, testing the integrity of the residency requirement for candidates (two courts ruled he is not a resident of the town).
It’s up to the political rivals of Pe and Salud, or to well-meaning citizens in Cebu City and Cordova if they question their candidacies.
--Opposition leaders in Lapu-Lapu City were obviously caught off-guard when Rep. Arturo “Boy” Radaza, instead of filing a COC for his reelection bid, had her daughter Aileen, 28, run for Congress in the city’s lone district instead. They could have put a better candidate than the ones running against Radaza’s daughter now.
Interestingly, Aileen and another youngster, 27-year-old Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas, who is running for the first district congressional seat, have good chances of making it to Congress on the strength of the support of their elders (Rep. Eduardo Gullas is Samsam’s grandpa). I don’t know if this is good for our representative democracy.
--The candidacy for governor of lawyer Hilario “Junjun” Davide III has taken an interesting turn with the refusal of Gullas and Daanbantayan Mayor Ma. Luisa Loot to support him. Loot supported Davide in his first run in 2010 while Gullas is allied with the Nacionalista Party, which is in turn allied with PNoy’s Liberal Party.
Loot’s turnaround is apparently because she has made peace with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, sister of One Cebu gubernatorial bet Pablo John Garcia.
Gullas, meanwhile, seems to have chosen the path of least resistance. Most of the mayors in the first district have pledged their support for PJ, and it would have looked awkward for Eddiegul to support Davide’s candidacy.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 06, 2012.
Opinion
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