Political activities

THIS is the time in democratic politics when the people could become over-polite to each other, too respectful, and for no reason at all, too friendly. Anyone deeply involved in politics may sport a smiling face with hardly any frown.

When perchance in your daily walk around your village or your town you encounter a man with a ready handshake and a warm smile, you should take it that you are meeting a visiting political person.

In a political sortie in Cebu last week, the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) received a warm welcome, and we surmised that soon there would be a counter-visit by the dominant Liberal Party (LP) wherein the leaders would come up with a much bigger crowd than UNA’s supposedly 50,000 people.

Sure enough, the LP has set today and tomorrow rallies in Cebu for the allies of President Benigno Aquino III who are angling to join the Senate after the May elections.

The LP gubernatorial candidate for Cebu, Hilario Davide III, revealed that the President and all the senatorial candidates would be in Cebu today for the first rally to be held in Lawaan 3, Talisay City.

Aggressively, the second rally on Wednesday would be held right at the proverbial lion’s den, in Tayud Sports Complex in Liloan town. As everyone well knows, Liloan’s mayor is the husband of the daughter of suspended governor Gwen Garcia, head of One Cebu Party, and ally of UNA.

What LP will do is like making a political challenge right at the lion’s mouth. But then, of course, that’s the beauty of politics in a democracy. If it were in some place else, we would have expected violence.

Over last weekend, about 400 persons participated in a recollection organized by the Dilaab Foundation Inc. and Couples for Christ, both Catholic organizations where the Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle had served as recollection master.

He reportedly advised the participants, voters and candidates, “to listen better for effective public service and credible elections.” The 55-year old cardinal is one of those mentioned as a possible replacement for resigned Pope Benedict XVI.

At any rate, Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco, son-in-law of suspended Governor Gwen, has said that although he has not received any request for assistance, especially since the LP plans to have a motorcade from the city to Liloan where the rally is set to begin at 10 a.m., still everyone is welcomed to his town.

Well, it’s a campaign season anyway, and in a true democracy I believe a country like ours should be free and open to everyone.