FAMILY patriarch Norberto Quisumbing Jr. has, as SunStar Cebu aptly put it in the lead to the newspaper’s banner story yesterday, ended months of speculation that he is not supporting his grandson Luigi Quisumbing’s bid for reelection as Mandaue City mayor. And in the process, he dropped a bombshell.
That NQ should buy a full-page ad space in SunStar for his announcement indicates the great lengths he is willing to go to let the people know how badly his grandson has fallen from his grace. More damaging, however, were the statements he made in the accompanying interview.
Luigi’s consolation is that his grandfather’s attack did not happen too close to election day as to deny him any chance to address any damage it may have caused to his campaign. At least he has time to respond to NQ. The question is how. His crisis management team could consider the following courses of action:
One, issue a brief statement of regret over the recent turn of events involving his family. Emphasize that this is a family issue that should be addressed privately. Express confidence that in due time the wounds would heal. In the meantime ask the public for patience and understanding.
The approach fits the stereotype of the obedient descendant who refuses to pick a fight with his elders even in the face of extreme provocation. It projects humility of the most endearing kind.
Its drawback is that it does not allow Luigi to answer specific issues that NQ raised, especially the one that says Luigi and Jonas Cortes had agreed that Luigi would serve as mayor for only one term after which Jonas will take over at City Hall while Luigi returns to Congress. It relies too much on the assumption that people have such short memories that on election they cannot even faintly recall any of the things that NQ said against his grandson.
Two, meet NQ’s accusations head-on and engage him tit for tat. The millions that NQ spent? Luigi did not ask for it. He thought that NQ was a happy giver. His decision to close his cousin’s bar? He was the mayor and he had a job to do regardless of who got hit. His failure to consult his grandather? The people elected only him, not his entire family, as their mayor. The agreement with Jonas? There was never any. NQ must have gotten very old.
This hawkish approach will satisfy the hotheads in Luigi’s camp but will it gain him new adherents? Will it not make him look like an ingrate? Will it not provoke more attacks not just from NQ but from other relatives as well?
Three, apologize. Say he’s sorry that he closed his cousin’s bar but he had no choice because of reports from the police that it had become a favorite hangout for drug users. Ask for forgiveness that he did not consult his grandfather before closing the bar and for assuming that NQ would support him because it was good governance. Acknowledge NQ’s enormous generosity which he could never repay other than by honoring his name by governing without fear or favor. And if it is true that he had a prior agreement with Jonas, express regret that he had to break it because he has greater plans for Mandaue.
If you were Luigi, which path would you take?