Yes from Junjun; no reply from Leni
POLITICAL news on Thursday, September 30, included:
[1] Cebu Vice Governor Hilario Davide III finally announcing that he'd run for reelection, with former tourism secretary Ace Durano as his governor under the Danao City-based Bakud Party. It's not yet known who'll be running mate of reelectionist Governor Gwen Garcia and rival of Junjun Davide for the No. 2 Capitol post.
Durano also disclosed why he's running: the pandemic, which he said, “if we continue to address it the way we are currently doing (‘moving on and moving forward’ is the Capitol mantra), will affect us for a much longer time.”
[2] ISambayan -- through Antonio Carpio, retired associate justice of the Supreme Court -- announced that Vice President Leni Robredo will be its candidate for president in next May's elections. He said the choice was the result of "rigorous process" of consultations with its chapters and partners and its three million members. The problem is that Robredo had not yet decided, as of this news cycle.
Council to listen to BAC
After hearing businessman-engineer Crisologo Saavedra Jr.'s complaint on alleged "irregular and anomalous" bidding on the P249.38-million traffic lights and CCTV (phase two), the Cebu City Council decided last Wednesday, September 29, to listen also to the members of the city's bids and awards committee (BAC).
Saavedra charged that the BAC "rigged" the process to favor one bidders. BAC's chairman then, City Attorney Rey Gealon, said Saavedra was protecting the interest of his client, the competing bidder. Gealon pounced on the whistleblower's motive, not the allegation.
Minority Floor Leader Nestor Archival rejected the excuse of BAC that the two members who could answer questions on the bidding were not available for the Sanggunian's Citizens Hour last Wednesday. Thus the resetting of the BAC members' appearance until next session on October 6.
Sidelight: Saavedra said it was his first time to appear before the city legislature. A veteran on raising complaints for many years, he said he had not done it before, appearing, though by Zoom, before the "august body." He was excited, he said, which partly explained why he talked a lot more than most of the councilors.
Campaigning by Zoom
Acting Mayor Mike Rama said Wednesday, September 29, that campaigning by Zoom does not make any sense and "has no humanity." He would rather have a few people before him in the sitio or barangay, with loudspeakers directed at the homes of other community members.
Long-distance, virtual campaigning though makes sense to the candidate who doesn't wish to risk getting sick. To each his own way of getting the vote.
Mayor Sara's surprise
A motorcade pushing the pitch "Run Inday Sara Sun" showed up in Cebu City Thursday, September 30, a day before the start of the COC-filing period from October 1 to 8.
That, after Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio declared last September 9 she was not running for president after her father President Rodrigo Duterte decided to run for vice president. "Yes, I am not running for a national position," ("yes, I have no bananas") was her response to her dad's acceptance of the PDP-Laban Cusi wing's draft. And after previous other statements refusing supposed appeals from various sectors for her to run.
The public won't be surprised if she will run. The surprise will be if she won't and instead keep her word that she's unlike other politicians who repeatedly say no, play coy or lie outright, and then break their promise by doing what they said they won't do.
People will have to wait until November 15, cut-off day for substitution of candidates, to know if Mayor Sara would be like her father in 2015: multiple no's, then yes.
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