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Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Roperos: Watch their dust
By Godofredo M. Roperos
OH, my God. What many politicians from the north had always hoped would never happen, has finally happened,” said a friend yesterday. He was referring, of course, to the report that the political reconciliation between the Osmeña brothers Sen. John Henry and Emilio “Lito” has become imminent.
The breakup in the two brothers’ political ties sometime in the late ‘80s has been considered as most tragic among the Cebuanos and Cebuano-speaking people of the Visayas and Mindanao. It was taken as a political disaster.
Through the ‘90s, while former governor Lito has succeeded in making a name as economist/politician, he never did get elected to a national position simply because political leaders outside of Cebu think of him as more of an economist/businessman than a politician with savvy and national dimension.
Leaders of other provinces would say that if he cannot agree and see eye-to-eye with brother Sonny, how could he possibly do the things he wish to do as a national leader? Which logic could be a non sequitur.
On the other hand, elder brother Senator JHO, with his deep understanding of the national politics and a sensitive soul when it comes to ground level politics, has succeeded in aligning a strong and enviable political following in the Visayas and Mindanao, outside of the province of Cebu.
Because of his sometimes brusque ways of handling local level politics in Cebu, and his detachment from the province being a “national” politician, Sonny could lose an election in Cebu, but win in the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao.
But Lito, who has been governor of Cebu and, therefore, has had his ears close to the ground in the island’s nitty-gritty politics, as well as sensitive to the refined ramifications of the Cebuano’s social and political sensibilities, did succeed to establish a closely-knit circle of personal and political friends in the 47 towns and six cities of the province whom he can call to political arms at will when the situation demands it.
In a word, Sonny and Lito, combining forces, form a formidable political force.
Indeed, the heart of the so-called breakup of the Osmeña political clan in Cebu has largely been due to the breach in the political relationship of the brothers JHO and Lito.
Mark my word—I have always used the phrase political relationship or political breakup that sometimes become harsh. But this has never gone up to the personal level. Few, if any at all, have seen JHO and Lito in public, going out together as brothers in their personal life, but they do. Their politics, I believe, has not eroded their blood ties.
Lately, though, with the number of elections in the past decade that could have “rewarded” the Osmeñas with prize plums in the matter of elective positions that have gone to naught, there has been an undercurrent of insistence that the Osmeña clan come to their senses.
The collective Cebuano-speaking people’s feeling is that efforts should be exerted to repair the “torn surfaces” of their politics and heal the political “wound.” Many things could be attained in the Visayas and Mindanao if the Osmeñas lead the way.
Thus the report that at the inauguration of the Promdi national headquarters in Cebu City, the brothers Sonny and Lito Osmeña have indicated a possible political reconciliation appears to augur well for southern Philippines in next year’s presidential campaign.
With the combined political forces of Sonny, Lito, Serge III and Tommy O, along with their political allies in the Visayas and Mindanao, as well as in the far north, the Cebuanos can already say with no mean implication, “watch our dust.”
Recall, that since the presidency of the Cebuano’s Grand Old Man, Don Sergio Osmeña, Sr., no Cebuano has successfully ascended the “throne” in the place by the Pasig River.
But Visayan presidents, true, there have been two. These were the late Manuel Roxas, of Capiz in Panay, grandfather of Trade and Industry Secretary Mar Roxas, and the late Carlos Polistico Garcia, of Talibon, Bohol. Both were Cebuano-speaking people but not a true-blooded Cebuano. Perhaps, it is time for a Cebuano to restore sanity in our leadership.
There are times in any nation’s history that demand the citizenry to pause for a few moments to pray or to express thanks to the Lord for a sudden turn in the course of their nation’s move towards the future. Perhaps, the Osmeña clan’s reconciliation is one such.
(October 7, 2003 issue)
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