15/04/2022
OPINION: Mike and Gwen, yes; BBM-Sara, never
The Cebuanos will still go for Gwen and Mike but they are not stupid to swallow BBM. The Cebuanos are not robots. They are men and women of principles and a sense of pride and honor. They cannot be herded like meek lambs and be fed to predators. Cebuanos have minds of their own. The decision of One Cebu was a decision of only one person. It was not a party decision.
There was no formal balloting among the members of the party. There was not even an informal straw vote. The mayors are confused, bewildered and beguiled. They are for Gwen, yes. But most of them are really against Marcos. In 2016, Garcia endorsed Cayetano for vice president. But the Cebuanos gave VP Leni more than 800,000 votes. Marcos only got 300,000. That only means that, even without the support of Garcia, and even against her endorsement, the Cebuanos could not be stopped from voting for Robredo. And Marcos has very poor grassroot support in Cebu. I stake my honor and dignity and I am willing to bet my last centavo: Leni will win over Marcos in Cebu.
The name Marcos has had a very bad record in the memories of Cebuanos. In 1969, Marcos Sr. applied all forms of cheating, terrorisms, vote-buying and other illegal electoral practices to defeat Cebu's only hope to have an elected president. But with the cooperation of Marcos' underlings and subalterns led by Congressman Ramon Durano Sr. of the old first district (now the fifth district), Congressman Isidro Kintanar of the fourth district (now second district), Congressman Manuel Zosa of the sixth district (now seventh and third districts), and Congressman Tereso Dumon of the old seventh district (now the fourth), Serging Osmeña, the son of Don Sergio and father Mayor Tom and Senator Serge Osmena.
Upon the declaration of Martial Law, after ordering and securing the arrests of Senators Ninoy Aquino, Jose W Diokno (father of senatorial candidate Chel Diokno), Francisco Soc Rodrigo, Lorenzo Tanada, and other prominent political opponents, the soldiers and police officers were hunting for Serging Osmena and vice president Fernando Lopez ( his own vice president had a falling out with Marcos, and Lopez resigned from the Marcos cabinet). Since both Serging and Nanding Lopez were abroad, their respective son and nephew were arrested: Serge Osmena and Geny Lopez, son of Don Eugenio, original owner of Meralco, ABS-CBN and the Manila Chronicle print media company.
Marcos also caused the arrest and incarceration of the famous Free Press writer, Napoleon G. Rama, who was then an elected Constitutional Convention delegate representing the old third district, now the first district of Cebu. Mayor Mike Rama should remember that his own uncle was arrested by the father of the candidate he is supporting now. And Governor Gwen should also remember that his late father, Noy Pabling, and even her brothers, especially Deputy Speaker Pablo John Garcia, do not subscribe to the political stands of the Marcoses. Marcos is supported by GMA who staged a House coup d'etat, replacing Bebot Alvarez, whom Gwen supported all the way in the last battle for the speakership, surreptitiously instigated by Sara Duterte.
And so, in the silence of their contemplations, both Mayor Mike and Governor Gwen should realize deep in their hearts that they have committed a major faux pas by their ill-advised endorsement of a very unworthy candidate. Some years from now, they shall wake up regretting such a monumental blunder in their political career.
