OUR attention is torn between two things. First in our continuing fight against the coronavirus and the other is the excitement in the preparations for the coming 2022 national and local elections.
It is given, we are still hooked on the situation thinking about whether we will end up victorious or we will lose the fight amidst the surging number of Covid-19 cases every day.
The data in the past many days suggests a grim scenario for our people particularly in Metro Manila despite the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). We foresaw that the same situation would go down to the provinces and cities in case there is no development in the epicenter of the pandemic. Now it has gone real because local transmission is the problem of many towns and cities in the province including Bacolod City.
In Kabankalan City, for example, there is a sudden rise in the number of cases, which at first can simply be attributed to the one who tried to avail medical services in Bacolod but later failed because of the supposed RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test for Covid-19. It turned out that the result was positive and, thus, contact tracing revealed that he was a resident of the next town, Ilog, but has mingled with many Kabankalanons after attending a cockfighting event.
Kabankalan is now one of the component cities with high number of active cases along with the cities of Cadiz and San Carlos.
Bago City also imposed control measures to stop simple gathering of people. The local government closed the Bantayan Park, located beside the Bago River and is one of the many attractions of the city, especially at night.
Given this situation in our struggle to survive the pandemic, political climate is also heating up.
For both aspiring and incumbent officials, now may be the proper time to feel the pulse. The only difference is, of course, our country’s divided attention on the pandemic and the necessity of choosing the next set of leaders.
There is no indication as of now that elections would be postponed because of the pandemic. But while there is still time to see how things will unfold in the midst of this crisis, should elections be pursued by the government, some quarters and political alliances, have put forth preparations for the 2022 elections.
In reports recently, since Victorias City mayor, Wantan Palanca is on his last term, Javier “Javi”Benitez, son of former congressman, Albee Benitez, declared he is running for mayor. This came as a surprise with no prior hints in the past. But this could be a decision in response to the possible conflicts because Vice Mayor Jerry Jover is next in line and has also shown loyalty to the party, while Mayor Palanca could also have his own choice for a successor.
Cong. Albee may have his way of resolving this so that Vice Mayor Jover will also continue his political career, along with Mayor Palanca who is ending his term on June 30, 2022.
These are just early talks on politics while some would say, it is still too far before the day of filing and many things will still happen.
It is then left to the senses of everyone to appreciate the pandemic and politics at this time of crisis. The former may lead us to ponder on the unpredictability of life, while the latter could excite us thinking about the personalities and future policies that will soon affect our future.*