Sunday, September 14, 2008 Malilong: Cortes should have ignored his hecklers By Frank Malilong The Other Side
WHAT’S wrong with a public official seeking the help of his family?
The way the “Kabanay” issue is raised against Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, it seems that listening to other people especially your relatives is already an offense that is even more grievous than purchasing overpriced decorative lamps.
No one can claim a monopoly of wisdom. Great leaders are known to maintain a circle of trusted advisers to assist them in arriving at decisions. If you listen to other people, why can’t you listen to your own family? Isn’t it a time-honored Filipino value to hear your elders?
It would be a different story if Cortes’ friends and relatives are making money for and from helping the mayor. But nothing of that sort has been suggested so where’s the need for the ombudsman to investigate? “Kabanay” is a political, not a criminal, issue. Dignifying it will only further escalate the political conflict in Mandaue.
Speaking of which, Cortes should have known better than be an active party to the widening conflict that is already affecting Mandaue adversely. The non-partisan public can easily see what the majority councilors, who are allies of former mayor Teddy Ouano, have been up to since day one of the rookie mayor’s reign: make him fail as father of the city.
But it takes two to tango. A savvy Cortes could have chosen to ignore his hecklers. Instead, he wasted time by engaging them in a no-quarters-asked, no-quarters-given battle. Now, almost halfway through his term, his administration looks headed to a certain failure unless he wises up soon.
The problem with Cortes is that, like his detractors, he couldn’t rise from the mentality of a small-town politician. As mayor of Cebu’s second important city, he ought to know that he has bigger fish to fry than his critics; that they can froth in the mouth till hell freezes over without a bit taking him off course. After all, isn’t service still the best politics?
The good news is that Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia is stepping in as mediator. Garcia obviously felt that she and the people of Mandaue had enough of the quarrel after learning of an upsurge in the city’s crime rate.
I wish the governor luck. Others may find her awkward in the role of peacemaker considering her own ongoing bitter feud with Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña. I would like to think that her quarrel with Osmena has taught her valuable lessons on how and why an off-season partisan quarrel can be a bane to all stakeholders.
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Thank heavens for the sober heads in the Cebu City Council.
A report in this paper yesterday said the city legislature toned down a resolution that sought to express the body’s displeasure over a statement attributed to Trade Secretary Peter Favila on how to address the country’s economic woes. Favila was supposed to have suggested taking a look at the possibility of developing a world class entertainment and gaming center to spur economic growth in the country.
As Vice Mayor Mike Rama has correctly pointed out, Favila was not proposing a national policy to convert the Philippines into a gambling Mecca but was making a personal opinion.
The resolution’s author should be commended for his zeal in protecting the country’s morals. But we should be able to distinguish between a casual remark and a clear advocacy. An honorable institution like the City Council isn’t a venue for trivia.
