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Friday, April 30, 2004
Wenceslao: When that vendor cried
By Bong Wenceslao
I received recently an e-mailed reaction to my earlier column about the report that a member of the staff of Vice Gov. John Gregory Osmena filed a complaint against Gov. Pablo Garcia and his daughter Gwen on the Perdido Lex scam. The e-mail sender, however, does not want to be identified. Here’s a portion of the letter:
“I read your column everyday and this thing about the vice governor bothers me a lot. You said Cebuanos are not stupid to believe in whatever alibis the Osmena camp may try to pull…But these Cebuanos are the same people who voted Osmeña into office even if he doesn’t know Cebuano and is not familiar with the place.
“For God’s sake John-john did not grow in Cebu and I don't believe it is right for him to govern the province. But who put him there in the first place? Is it not the Cebuanos? I am a Cebuano and I don't want to be called stupid. Are we?”
Good question, and it reminds me of the politics in Cebu City where another Osmena is being portrayed as unbeatable despite his arrogance and abuse of power. Supporters of Mayor Tomas Osmeña and members of his text brigade boasted about this when they reacted insultingly to my column criticizing the mayor yesterday.
Indeed, John-john could win as Cebu governor in much the same way that Tomas may end up being reelected—but that is not because Cebuanos are stupid but because of the kind of electoral setup we have. Character of candidates is not the only determining factor in winning votes. Resources and ability to manipulate can also be factored in, among others.
In the province, for example, John-john is a contender despite the controversies he is facing because the Duranos and other politicians are propping up his candidacy. Voters will go for John-john not because they like him but because they could not go against the dictates of the warlords and politicians from whom their economic survival depends.
That is also true in Cebu City. When Osmeña took over City Hall in 2001, he was obsessed with ensuring his reelection in 2004. He won over majority of the barangay captains through bullying and enticements. He allowed his financial backers to dip their fingers into the City’s affairs. He implemented projects only when the election was near.
An example of this maneuvering is what happened to the Sto. Nino vendors, whom Osmeña persecuted in the middle of his term. In a classic “no vote, ibot” threat, some of the vendors were forced to declare their support for Osmeña’s candidacy. In a presscon, one vendor who was told to face the media, apparently pained by the decision, cried.
P.S. Texter Ma. Luisa Gener has sounded off the following call: “Because there is chaos in our country, the Philippines is the third most corrupt state in Asia and 88 percent of Filipinos are living below the poverty line, it’s time for us to rise and change.”
An unidentified Text Reax contributor asked this question: “Isn’t it unfair to other candidates and immoral, if not illegal, for Philhealth to festoon its Cebu office with posters of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo considering that the said agency is funded by people’s money?
Then here’s Alberto C. Austria of Maguikay, Mandaue City: “The game is not yet over for Raul Roco. I still believe he has the chance to be elected president. Just like in basketball, the game will not be over until the final buzzer. Roco pa rin ako. Walang iwanan.”
Finally, another unidentified texter suggested the following names for possible mergers of the camps of presidential aspirants: “Raul Roco with Eddie Villanueva: Bangon ang Pag-asa Alyansa; Ping Lacson with Fernando Poe Jr.: Koalisyong Nananakot ng Pilipino; Gloria Macapagal Arroyo with Eddie Gil: Korupsyon, Kahirapan, Karanasang Kakatawa."
(Text Reax contributions must contain the complete name and address of the sender)
(e-mail: khanwens@yahoo.com; text: 0927-4912362)
(April 30, 2004 issue)
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