Weeks before the election, the prospect of total dominance by one family hung heavily over Cebu’s political landscape.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia looked headed to certain victory over Pamela Baricuatro, a challenger who was hampered not only by her being a newcomer to the rough-and-tumble world of politics but also, and more importantly, by her obvious lack of campaign resources.
Cebu City Mayor Raymond Garcia, a nephew of the governor, was similarly heavily favored to secure his own mandate as mayor, after succeeding the duly elected (in 2022) Michael Rama, over his aforenamed predecessor and 2022 ally, and the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan’s (BOPK) Nestor Archival.
The expected hegemony did not turn out to be, however; the people had other plans.
So many things had been written about why the Cebuanos rejected Gwendolyn after giving her resounding victories, more recently in 2019 and 2022: she was supposedly arrogant and tyrannical, she neglected the people’s basic health needs in favor of trivial pursuits like the Pasigarbo, and she had betrayed the Dutertes.
None of these negative factors inhered in Raymond. He was not known to have a short fuse, did not have a habit of insulting or berating everyone who displeased him, his claim as “action mayor” was not all talk, and he had carefully avoided being perceived as anti-Duterte.
In addition, he had access to vast government resources, including doleouts that were released in the runup to the election.
So why did he lose?
Anticipating victory in the 2016 elections and aware that he would no longer be able to seek the same post in 2019, then Mayor Rama announced that he will instead be fielding his vice mayor, Edgardo Labella, to succeed him.
The anticipated third term did not materialize, however, as Rama lost to Tomas “Tommy” Osmeña in a rematch of their 2013 encounter. Itching for a third bout with his former mentor, Rama quickly forgot his promise to Labella.
The vice mayor did not forget, however, declaring that with or without Rama’s support he was going to seek the mayorship in 2019. The opposition was headed to a split.
Then Michael Dino intervened. The presidential assistant for the Visayas told Rama to keep his promise otherwise both he and Labella were sure to lose.
Rama grudgingly obliged and ran for vice mayor instead. Both won.
In 2022, Rama was mayor again, having succeded Labella, who died before completing his term. Favored by the “equity of the incumbent” practice in politics, Rama was endorsed by his coalition allies but on one condition: take Raymond Garcia as running mate.
Rama, however, demurred because he had promised the position to Dondon Hontiveros. A stalemate ensued, again broken only by Dino who warned that a split would be fatal to their ambitions. Rama relented. Again, they won.
This year, Dino could not wave his magic wand a third time. Rama’s suspension and eventual dismissal pushed him out of the coalition and he lost no time in accusing Garcia of betrayal. Both spent significant parts of the campaign quarreling.
In the meantime, Archival and Osmeña were quietly marshalling their forces. It was like 1987 again when Osmeña and his team, that included Raymond’s father, Alvin, operated as efficiently as termites, catching practically everyone unaware, including those who sneered at him as a Tommy-come-lately.
It helped that Archival was easy to sell. He was humble and not quarrelsome. He did not rub people the wrong way and most of all, he has not been involved in a controversy or accused of corruption.
Sometime in the middle of April, Osmeña told me by phone while I was on my way to a court appointment in Boljoon, “we’re going to win this.”
And win they did.