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Saturday, December 27, 2003
Roperos: Dealing a political hand
By GODOFREDO M. ROPEROS
POLITICS ALSO
THE way things look to me, political hands are slowly being dealt in the provincial and municipal levels, allowing the final players in the May 2004 political games to come out in the open and be known.
This is evident when Vice Gov. John Gregory Osmena filed his certificate of candidacy for governor under the Nationalist Peoples Coalition (NPC). It means he is competing for the post regardless of who his opponent would be, with or without his Pop’s support.
At the moment, the political situation in Cebu and elsewhere still appears volatile and unclear. This includes even the presidency where the final players are still anybody’s guess. The playing field has become even more muddled with the entry of Bro. Eddie Villanueva, with a reported support from his Jesus is Lord (JIL) movement.
If Ping Lacson pursues his bid for the presidency despite the candidacy of Fernando Poe Jr., I think the opposition would not feel at ease. And if President Arroyo’s political tacticians succeed in persuading Sen. Noli de Castro to throw his popular hat into the arena, then the opposition’s political dream will definitely sag to the bottom.
In the meantime, the President’s future will continue to hang, too, until she knows about former senator Raul Roco and his teammate, and Bro. Eddie as well. For they are candidates whose followers generally come from the conservatives of the nation.
For one, Bro. Eddie boasts of having the support of some 7 million members and followers of his movement. If true, his voters would cut a wide swath of supporters from the ranks of both the opposition and administration. With this, all the other presidential candidates could suffer.
But there would be more ill effects on the candidacies of PGMA and Roco. This is so since the profile of Brother Eddie’s JIL members appears to me as lower and upper middle level Filipinos. FPJ’s would come more from the ranks of the poor and less schooled masses.
In the provincial level, we are witnessing a political encounter that will have the administration at a veritable disadvantage. With the filing of Osmena’s certificate of candidacy for governor under the NPC, the line is practically drawn in the gubernatorial contest, with the opposition enjoying the upperhand.
Lakas-CMD still has to settle the factional problem between Gov. Pablo Garcia and Agriculture Undersecretary Junie Martinez. Until a satisfactory settlement shall have been brokered between the two factions, President Arroyo could never expect to secure a reasonable share of the Cebu’s more than a million voters in May 2004.
Of the six congressmen in the province, five are identified with NPC and are presumed to be behind the vice governor. This is ample enough assurance that John-john, along with his own supporters, and probably that of his father, Sen. John Osmeña, will have a perceptible lead in the contest.
But whatever settlement will be arrived at to heal the rift in the Lakas ranks, the fact will still remain that only the governor’s and the Martinez turf will be striving to get the provincial vote for the President.
I would surmise, however, that PGMA will be able to get a share of the opposition vote here simply because not all of those who will be supporting the vice governor will follow him to the presidency, or whoever he will opt to support. I believe, his father, Senator Sonny, will also have a say in it.
And there is a better than even chance that JHO will go for the President rather than support the opposition presidential candidate. It is to Sonny’s credit that when it comes to his politics, he is his own man, and that makes him practice his politics from a position of strength in most instances.
(December 27, 2003 issue)
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