THE most shocking development so far in the filing by wannabes of their certificates of candidacy (COC) at the local level is Gov. Hilario Davide III running instead for vice governor and not taking a stab at a third and last term. We expect Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale to run for governor instead but that has not been confirmed when I wrote this column.
Had Davide decided to run for a third and last term, he would have been battling former governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who has shifted her focus from the House of Representatives, where she represented Cebu’s third district, back to provincial politics. This time around, Garcia will be backed by the now ruling PDP-Laban against Davide’s Liberal Party (LP), the decimated former ruling party.
No wonder Davide felt isolated, what with most of the mayors and other officials of component cities and municipalities in Cebu province aligning themselves either with the PDP-Laban or presidential daughter Sara Duterte’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago. Even Magpale admitted that her Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) has allied with Hugpong.
Which means that Magpale is in a better position politically to battle Garcia’s challenge than Davide, a reality that must have contributed to Davide’s decision to run for vice governor instead. But that should not make the Garcia camp complacent because the shift—with Magpale running for governor and Davide running for vice governor—could be a win-win solution for them.
As strong as Garcia is as candidate for governor, that may not apply to her running mate, whoever it would be. Davide is, after all, the incumbent governor. As for Magpale, she can be a formidable opponent considering her long stint as vice governor. Besides, a loss would not be as painful considering that she has long been talking about her intention to retire from politics.
Now, here’s where things could get interesting. In August, the Office of the Ombudsman affirmed Garcia’s dismissal from public service in a decision that stemmed from the allegedly unauthorized P24.47-million contract to backfill the controversial Balili property, which is largely underwater. The case is still pending with the Court of Appeals where Garcia has sought relief.
Interestingly, the dismissal order carries with it perpetual disqualification from public service. I am not a lawyer but apparently Davide must have factored this in his decision to tun for vice governor. If Garcia wins, that case could be settled with finality while she is serving as governor. There’s a chance she would be dismissed. Now, what if Davide also wins as vice governor?
That won’t matter, of course, if Magpale wins.
I say a wise guy is behind this strategy, if indeed Davide’s decision to run for vice governor is a strategy. I know only of one person who is an expert on this one. And this one person can be considered an expert also as far as following up pending cases of his political opponents are concerned.
In a way, this is an interesting political strategy. But to succeed, the stars have to align in the right places. Meaning that, this should prod the Garcia camp to choose the best vice gubernatorial bet and work hard to make him or her win.