Durano versus Durano

With the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in high gear for the 2013 polls, it is perhaps but wise for the warring Durano camps to wait until then rather than pursue the recall election on Mayor Ramon “Boy” Durano Jr.

In interviews with local media, Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor Lionel Castillano said their Manila office simply doesn’t have the funds needed to hold recall elections in Danao City, home of the Duranos who’ve wielded considerable influence in Cebu’s 5th district.

Even if the camp of Vice Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano III were to provide the funds, Castillano said their resolution stated that it’s only the Comelec that’s allowed to hold and fund recall elections in any local government unit (LGU).

The logic being that owing to its position as election arbiter, the Comelec is by theory the only authorized neutral agency to verify contested election results as well as initiate processes such as recall elections.

The recall election gives the electorate the chance to pick anew their own leaders provided they meet the required number of signatures, which is 45 percent of those who voted in the last election.

The situation is far from easy in Danao City, which is long ruled by the Duranos, where a dispute broke out between the mayor and vice mayor, both Duranos. While the vice mayor’s camp may have valid reasons for ousting the mayor, time and the law aren’t on their side.

One need only look at the recent proclamation of Compostela Mayor Joel Quiño and his council as evidence of how election protests and exercises in general can take its toll on a local government unit’s economy and existence.

With a reenacted budget, Compostela town hardly made any significant progress from its status as a 5th class municipality with the Capitol and the Department of Interior and Local Government taking turns trying to maintain some semblance of governance there in order not to disrupt the flow of essential social services.

Danao City is better off than Compostela and the vice mayor, who ensures that at least part of the local government machinery is in place, said the recall election would only affect the mayor.

Having been ruled by the Durano clan for so long, Danao City residents may not probably notice any difference according to who sits as mayor—a cold, hard political reality that sadly speaks of how far the country has progressed as a democracy.

Would it be too much for the other Durano camp to simply cool their heels and wait for 2013 where they can run against their own kin—and likely no one else in particular?

Would Danao City be in any worse condition than it is now if the mayor remains in power or not? The vice mayor’s camp is well within their rights to pursue the recall election, but in this case, the Comelec’s energies and resources should focus on 2013.

Would it be too much for the other Durano camp to simply cool their heels and wait for 2013 where they can run against their own kin—and likely no one else in particular?