'Tacit okay'
Now that President Rodrigo Duterte is shown to have included former Cebu City mayor Mike Rama among the local candidates he endorsed at the PDP-Laban rally last Sunday (February 24), is Mike now considered cleared of the charge of being into illegal drugs as "protector and possible user"?
Mike's camp says the answer is a yes, even though he was never charged with any crime relating to drugs. While the President mentioned his name in a supposed "narco list," no specifics were made formally or informally. One reason Mike agreed to slide down to vice mayor was the cloud of doubt raised by Duterte's list.
But last Sunday, Duterte raised his and Vice Mayor Edgar Labella's hands in the traditional symbolism of support.
It was, at best, a tacit announcement that Mike has a clean bill of health, a City Hall watcher says. Labella runs for mayor against Mayor Tomas Osmeña while Edgar's running mate Mike Rama faces Mary Ann de los Santos for vice mayor.
It's Gwen, not Agnes
Another question that may have been put to rest is whether Duterte is supporting Representative Gwen Garcia or Vice Governor Agnes Magpale in the Capitol race. The President raised the hands of Gwen and her running mate Daphne Salimbangon, with the express words, "I will support Gwen." Duterte apparently has a list of those who helped him in the 2016 campaign and is constantly peeking at the list.
That was expected, said Magpale who faces Gwen in this May's fight over the governorship. "PDP-Laban is the party that made Duterte president." Not wishing to alienate Duterte and his mass base here though, Magpale said she supports the President's programs against drugs and corruption.
The Sara factor
There are Cebu politicians who were not endorsed by President Duterte but were endorsed by presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Carpio-Duterte.
Like Agnes Magpale: She was not endorsed by the President (her rival Gwen was) but Agnes was endorsed by Inday Sara.
Or like Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing: He was not endorsed by Duterte (her rival Jonas Cortes was) but Luigi was endorsed by Sara.
Or so their supporters insist. And they even have photos of Sara and their candidates holding hands aloft in the ritual of political support.
How father and daughter deal with the apparent conflict in supporting different local candidates will be fascinating to watch. How would it unravel and affect the chances of the likes of Luigi and Agnes?
Or maybe there will be no conflict. The father can support his flock; the daughter, hers. And both rival groups will support Inday Sara for a possible 2022 run.
Not in the picture
The images published so far, in print and digital media, have not shown all the candidates of PDP-Laban who were expected to be photographed with Duterte.
Some were conspicuously missing, among whom, notably, a TV star who's running for congressman. Were they left out?
The public should know in the next few days or weeks. Their propaganda will tell us whether they got the prized endorsement of the president.
Serge skips Harapan
It was reported only that Cebu's Serge Osmeña, a candidate for senator, skipped the Harapan interview last Sunday (February 24). It did not say why. Maybe he would still appear in another round of the ABS-CBN candidates' forum for senator-wannabes. Or he thinks he doesn't need that kind of exposure.
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