Wednesday, March 28, 2007 Maxey: The die is cast By Ram Maxey Bar None
THESE days, in Davao region's coffee shops or wherever political intrigues percolate, the hottest topic is the political turmoil in Davao del Norte.
It all started with the bombshell of an announcement earlier made by longtime political kingmaker Don Antonio Floirendo, a.k.a. "Whitehair", that his son, Rep. Tonyboy Floirendo, would run for governor and not Vice Governor Anthony del Rosario whom everybody in the province knew was a shoo-in for the post.
Tonyboy, the scion of Don Antonio Floirendo a.k.a. "Whitehair", is in his third and last term as congressman and probably wondering what to do next.
Anthony, his cousin, has been groomed by his father, former governor Rodolfo del Rosario (now Presidential Assistant for Government Concerns), to follow in his footsteps as governor -- certainly a legitimate consummation.
Whitehair's surprise, nay, shocking endorsement of Tonyboy despite being long aware of Dolfo's plans for his own son, was like a bolt from the blue that stunned the Del Rosarios and their rabid supporters who had expected Anthony to win the governorship hands down and all's well that ends well. As far as they were concerned, Anthony had done his homework well as vice governor and was ready to take over the mantle form outgoing governor Gelacio Gementiza. But evidently, all's not well in that neck of the woods.
Observers of the political scene wondered why Don Antonio had endorsed Tonyboy for governor instead of Anthony who is the better choice as far as experience in governance is concerned. Tonyboy, as representative of Davao del Norte's 2nd district in Congress, actually covers less territory than his cousin who has the entire province as his "classroom" where he learned the intricacies of governance and was eager to prove his mettle if given the opportunity -- only to discover that it was not to be.
Then a second, and even more powerful, blast rocked Davao del Norte's electorate Monday, an explosion whose shockwaves could be felt as far away as Metro Manila and threatens to drastically change the political landscape in the province. Dolfo del Rosario, egged on by thousands of his supporters who massed in front of son Anthony's residence in Tagum City, threw down the gauntlet to challenge his nephew, Tonyboy, for the governorship. The die, as they say, was cast.
What happens now to Tonyboy Floirendo's ambition to become governor as announced by Don Antonio Floirendo?
Like a toreador, Dolfo has grabbed the bull by the horns against all odds and dared to do what had never occurred in his wildest dreams: tangle with the powerful Floirendos (Dolfo's elder sister Nenita is married to Whitehair). For all intents and purposes, the powerful Floirendo-Del Rosario clan may have split, for better or for worse.
All eyes are riveted on the drama unfolding in Davao del Norte. The coffee shops and other habitats of rumor-mongers and intrigue in the region will continue to be a-buzz with tsismis, wild talk, idle talk, whatever it is that makes the world go round for people who love to talk, breathe, salivate over politics and politicians. This is only the beginning of another chapter in Davao del Norte's history. One wonders how it will end.
