Wednesday, April 23, 2008 Speak out: Gwen and the vice presidency By Art E. Canares
AN old man talked about the achievements of all but one of his three sons with mixed emotions.
He took great pride in his eldest son, who became a famous heart surgeon.
And while the old man was all praises for his second son, who is a self-made billionaire, he took umbrage at his third son, an adventurer, who became the vice-president of his country.
The old man bewailed: “He was very popular when he was still a senator and when he became the vice-president I no longer knew what he was. I couldn’t even remember his name.”
The old man was partly true.
Do we, ordinary mortals remember the vice-president of Elpidio Quirino?
I bet my only egg that most of our congressmen do not know the right answer, which is not surprising.
Almost always, current events would drown our interest on history, more so, when it is focused on the country’s second most powerful man who is waiting for a disaster that would set him free from the shadows of the president.
Frankly, the Office of the Vice-President is a waste of people’s money.
Suffice it to say that some countries disposed of such position as a bureaucratic surplus.
Thus, when the name of Gov. Gwen Garcia was floated around to run as vice-president to Mr. So and So, many Cebuanos were disappointed.
Even if it is a joke it still hurts.
It reeks of bigotry and social prejudice against the provincianos.
It is an affront to the people of the Visayas and Mindanao who know the vast potentials and achievements of the lady governor whose rank as chief executive of the country’s premier province is far above the credentials of these presidential wannabes.
Election 2010 seems light years away but in the calendar of Richard Gordon.
Bayani Fernando et al., the presidential race has just started in the streets of Manila that are lined with their posters of all sizes.
As a matter of fact, the sacred lane for presidential aspirants is already clogged with undesirables.
As for Gwen, the gubernatorial seat she is holding on could eventually catapult her to Malacańang when the right time comes.
But first, she must fortify her turf.
She cannot afford to leave Cebu in the midst of reconciliation and progress.
She must not break the economic and political momentum.
All she needs is to fight for the conversion of the whole province of Cebu into a free port in the league of Subic and Clark.
