* BONG REVILLA'S 16 COUNTS OF P517M GRAFT: Movie star and former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. was acquitted of plunder last year and is campaigning for the Senate as if he were already cleared of all wrongdoing. Yet Bong is still facing trial for 16 counts of graft over his alleged misspending of P517 million pork barrel. The money, the charge says, was released to three government agencies, then funneled to fake NGOs of alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles. A trial scheduled for Thursday (March 7) has been reset to March 14.
The amount involved in the remaining charges against Bong (P517 million) is even bigger than the amount in the plunder case: P224.5 million worth of kickbacks. His chief of staff and Napoles were convicted but Bong was spared. Cebuana Geraldine Faith Econg penned the decision. Two others joined Econg's vote while the two others in the special division dissented (3-2).
Long rule of Radazas
The Radazas have kept their rule over Lapu-Lapu City for almost 20 years in recent history: Arturo, the husband, served as mayor for nine years from 2001 to 2010; Paz, the wife, will complete her own nine-year stretch of three terms, from 2010 to 2019. Their daughter Aileen has been congresswoman of the city's lone district since 2013 after her dad Arturo served for one House term starting 2010, when he yielded the mayor's slot to his wife Paz. Now Aileen is giving way for her mom who's running for congresswoman. If the couple would win, that would give them continuous control of Lapu-Lapu for another three to nine years or until 2025.
At the end of the term this June 30, the three Radazas will have served a total of 27 years between them.
Poor health, graft charges
Long-time rule works against the incumbent officials as voters tend to opt for change. For the Radazas, there are other handicaps in the campaign:
[1] The alleged poor health of Arturo who, as early as 2012 turned over his House seat to daughter Aileen because of an illness at the time. Fast forward to 2019, in his bid to return to City Hall, Arturo, according to his critics, has been campaigning "on board a pedicab." He allegedly cannot walk or has difficulty in walking and moves around perched on the sidecar of a motorcycle.
[2] The Radazas have been hounded with graft charges, both official (in the anti-graft court) and unofficial (in public forums, by their political enemies). The court cases include allegations of fictitious loans in a rural bank that she managed. In January 2017 she was ordered suspended by the Sandiganbayan for 90 days on the alleged misuse of P15 million in pork barrel.
[3] Support of ruling party PDP-Laban to Team Libre, Chan's party, not to Team Deretso, the Radazas' party. President Duterte reportedly raised Ahong's hand at the recent PDP-Laban rally in Cebu City.
The first two handicaps are not new. The Radazas overcame them in the past two or three elections. But the allegedly visible physical infirmity of the former mayor-congressman might persuade Oponganons to change leaders. And there's the Duterte factor, whatever its influence on the results would be.
The Sitoy element
The former mayor from Cordova who serves in President Duterte's Cabinet, Adelino B. Sitoy, believes "it is time for change" in Lapu-Lapu.
Ade Sitoy, who mustered the forces that challenge the Radazas, told Elias O. Baquero on dyRC radio Tuesday (March 5) that Junard "Ahong" Chan, Pajo barangay captain and former city councilor, has an excellent chance of winning. A lot better this time than when Ahong ran for mayor in 2016 and lost to Paz Radaza. Engr. Rolando Patalinjug, a former stalwart of the opposition Kusgano in 2016, is not with the Sitoy-crafted alliance. It is not yet known how it would hurt Chan's chances.
Sitoy is the element that could make the difference in this May election's results. He was responsible for pooling the anti-Radaza forces and seeing to it that the Radazas would not get Duterte's backing.
A Team Deretso jingle expresses its feeling towards Sitoy: a line urges to shun traitors and deceivers, "labi na gyud ang Cordobahanon."
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