Saturday, May 10, 2008 Roperos: Guardo’s gambit By Godofredo M. Roperos Politics Also
WHATEVER else anyone would say about Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s political plans for 2010 as of this moment, there’s nothing he or she can do anything about it. As the overworked cliché goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Which means that everyone will have to wait for the next elections to find out whether Mayor Tom would be man enough to stand by his word. Then Guardo would not have to challenge him to a one on one contest to prove it.
I understand that Atan wants to project himself as some kind of political David slaying a Goliath. But I think that Atan is not yet ripe enough to become a true David. He still needs political maturity or the match would be hilariously ridiculous.
At any rate, I think some political observers consider as true the mayor’s announcement to field Vice Mayor Mike Rama for mayor with former councilor Joy Young as running mate. That there is no strong reaction against the thought except from Guardo is a fait accompli.
Unless of course, either Mike or Joy should decide to seek other elective posts, like the congressional seat of the south district. That would alter entirely the mayor’s plan.
In any case, I feel that Guardo, rather than look up to Mayor Tom as the politician to challenge in order to improve his political image, should instead find ways to develop his political maturity, if he ever has seriously decided to try his luck again in the city’s politics.
He should improve his image by improving his personal political value and not through money talk, like what I have heard he did in his first stab at politics. There are things that money cannot buy.
He will only be fleeced by “political vultures” that abound in our socio-political environment, and it would be a pity if he falls prey to them as he may have been during his first incursion into the rough-and-tumble ways of Philippine politics. This time around, Atan should wake up.
I think Atan’s predecessor did much better than he did in his first effort. If that contention is correct, then Atan should not be moving around bragging about challenging someone who had gone through the political arena many times and has indeed become a grizzled political pro.
It would only project him as an unwise pretender to a position he is not yet fit to covet, regardless of whether or not he has millions of pesos in the bank to squander. That would only make him look naive.
