Friday, January 11, 2008 Wenceslao: Politicians in Sinulog, 2 By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
IF she will stay true to the itinerary that broadcaster Choy Torralba texted me, Sen. Loren Legarda deserves a pat on the back. I wrote yesterday about the worry that Sinulog organizers would transform the grand parade into a launching pad for the ambitions of “presidentiables,” like Sens. Mar Roxas and Loren Legarda, who will be here next week.
Torralba, a supporter and friend of Legarda, confirmed the senator’s visit to Cebu, but clarified that she was invited by the Cebu City Government to be one of the jurors of the Miss Cebu pageant on Jan. 17. On the 18th Loren will speak during the joint luncheon meeting of the Rotary clubs of Cebu then fly back to Manila after visiting the Basilica.
“She will not be around during the Sinulog mardi gras. This is consistent with her stand that she will make a political decision or pronouncement regarding the 2010 polls only in 2009,” Choy said. Good. But I would like to hear also from followers of Roxas on whether the itinerary next week of their idol will respect the solemnity of the fiesta señor.
In the culmination activity of the Sinulog in 2004, Mayor Tomas Osmeña allowed then tourism secretary Richard Gordon to speak before the audience inside the Cebu City Sports Center. There Gordon announced his “plan” to make Cebu the “mardi gras capital of Asia” even if he was already thinking of leaving his post and running for senator.
Gordon and Osmeña were top guns of the Mayor’s League when the former was mayor of Olongapo and the latter of Cebu City. That Osmeña was pushing for Gordon’s candidacy that year was therefore not surprising. What made the situation awkward at that time was that the Sinulog Foundation warned against politicking in the celebration.
Will the “Gordon spectacle” be repeated this year? I don’t know whether Osmeña will support Legarda’s presidential bid or not, but we all know the mayor and Roxas traveled recently to Mindanao for a forum. Roxas’ Liberal Party has even floated the names of Osmeña and Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia as Roxas’ possible running mates.
So Roxas will most likely be the one who will do a Gordon during the fiesta, something that I think his fans should dissuade him from doing. Disrespecting the Sto. Niño won’t endear Roxas to the Cebuanos. Besides, the presidential polls are still three years away. Instead of doing a Gordon, he should do a Loren and visit the Basilica sans fanfare.
That should apply to the other wannabes like Senate President Manny Villar, Vice President Noli de Castro and even Gordon, who has also announced his intention to run for president in 2010. While I agree that in an activity like the Sinulog nobody can prevent people from gracing the celebration, organizers should lay down the parameters.
I met Roxas for the first and last time when I was an editor of The Freeman. He was still a congressman trying to introduce himself to the voters of the entire country. So when he visited Cebu he made the rounds of the media outlets here. I was impressed with the way he carried himself. That impression vanished when he started turning trapo.
I prefer politicians who let performance overshadow ambition. Unfortunately for Roxas, his stint in the Senate has been uneventful, his “Mr. Palengke” an empty slogan.
