Administration mentality

Next year’s gubernatorial poll in Cebu promises to be a thrilling contest that would see the administration Liberal Party (LP) rallying behind Hilario “Junjun” Davide III. Junjun will headline the provincial slate in tandem with incumbent Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale against One Cebu candidates led by 3rd district Congressman Pablo John Garcia.

The Cebu Daily News scoop said the Davide-Magpale team up was finalized in Manila last Thursday after LP president and Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas met with members of Barug Alang sa Kalambuan og Demokrasya (Bakud) members, Danao City Vice Mayor Ramonito “Nito” Durano, his son 5th District Rep. Red Durano and Vice Governor Magpale.

The Duranos control the district and delivered for Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia some 83,000 votes during the 2010 elections.  The LP advantage will be quite hefty because the district, which is composed of Borbon, Carmen, Catmon, Compostela, Liloan, Pilar, Poro, San Fransisco, Sogod, Tudela and Danao City has a voting population of 286,238 according to 2010 official statistics.

After the meeting in Secretary Roxas’ office, the group proceeded to Malacañang to inform P-Noy about the LP-Bakud alliance.  Coalition talks had been in the works for some time but there was speculation that Bakud will leverage the Durano influence and the incumbency of Ma’am Agnes to secure the gubernatorial slot.  While the Duranos were said to have this mindset, Ma’am Agnes stood firm in her decision to seek reelection.

I heard political pundits saying that Junjun is lucky that Ma’am Agnes is not ambitious, otherwise she would have unsettled LP plans.  There being no other major kinks reported in the course of negotiations, the coalition was sealed and the partners were only too pleased to report the news to the President in Malacañang in the afternoon. P-Noy is reportedly coming to Cebu on July 7 to announce the Davide-Magpale tandem as an added significance to the LP-Bakud alliance.

That the LP has secured the support of the Duranos  is not surprising because the political clan is not known to fight the administration. Their strength lies in political pragmatism, the ability to shift loyalties after every election, so that we have seen them stand by former presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Arroyo.

In the past, the so-called administration mentality has given rise to multiple candidates in the local level who all look to Malacañang for logistical support.  No national political leader or candidate in his right mind will reject any backing from local politicians, so the local polls usually end up in a labo-labo or free for all, where two or more administration candidates claw at each other.

The situation has prompted administration party leaders to declare the area zona libre, in which national candidates don’t take sides in the local contest, but hop from one administration sponsored-political rally to another to please all candidates. As a result, the electoral campaign, which is supposed to provide a platform for intelligent and substantive debate on pressing national and local issues, do not go beyond the level of entertainment shows where candidates sing, dance and issue motherhood statements.

It will be interesting to watch if the LP would condone this practice in, say, Cebu City where the major frontrunners are identified with Malacañang.  Cebu City south district Rep. Tommy Osmena is running against incumbent Mayor Michael Rama.

Meanwhile, 1st district Congressman Eduardo “Eddie” Gullas has passed on the political torch to his grandson Anthony Gerald “Samsam” Gullas who will run in the district against San Fernando Mayor Antonio “Abe” Canoy. Compared to Samsam who is a neophyte, Abe is a local chief executive who is familiar with the terrain and temperament of the first district. As the administration candidate it will be intriguing to see whether or not Abe will overcome Eddiegul’s clout. Gullas has the support of all incumbent mayors of Talisay, Carcar and Naga Cities and Sibonga and Minglanilla towns.

That may well be the configuration but Eddiegul will be the first to admit that in any elections politicians are guided by the so-called administration mentality.