Moment of truth for Metro politicos

After weeks of being exposed to politicians stumping on the campaign trail, voters will finally make their choices known today (Monday).

One of the most widely-anticipated matchups in Metro Manila is that of incumbent Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, 83, and former President Joseph Estrada, 76.

A day before Election Day, both camps claimed victory, citing surveys which showed them clinching the mayoral seat in the country’s capital.

Rumors about Estrada’s plan to run as Manila mayor started spreading as early as two years ago but these were confirmed  only when he moved to the city from San Juan.

Twenty-eight councilors and  Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso promptly jumped ship and joined the former leader’s United Nationalist Alliance, leading to months of mudslinging and a word war between Estrada and Lim.

Estrada, who served as San Juan mayor, senator, vice president and president until he was deposed in 2001, described his mayoral bid as his “last hurrah.” He promised to save the city from mounting debts, trash and a rise in criminal activities, and revive its former glory.

Lim, who also said this would be his last term, harped on his “womb-to-tomb” program which includes free healthcare and education. He picked Councilor Lou Veloso as his running mate and urged Manileños to choose a leader with a proven track record.

Another matchup which has generated just as much interest is the one in Taguig City between old political rivals: the Cayetanos and Tiñgas.

When incumbent Mayor Lani Cayetano filed her reelection candidacy in October, she announced that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had finally junked the electoral protest filed against her by her opponent in the 2010 polls, former Supreme Court Associate Justice Dante Tiñga.

A first termer, Cayetano won by a slim margin with 95,865 votes compared to Tiñga’s 93,445.

He promptly elevated his protest to the Supreme Court which has yet to rule on the issue. In the meantime, he fielded his youngest daughter, former Councilor Rica Tiñga, to run against his rival.

During the campaign period, the two camps engaged in a heated word war but on May 4, their followers figured in a scuffle after members of the city government’s Public Order and Safety Office clashed with Tiñga supporters near city hall. As a result, 14 were injured while the two politicians filed charges against each other.

In Muntinlupa City, voters should have no problem recognizing the two leading mayoral candidates. The incumbent, Mayor Aldrin San Pedro, has found a familiar challenger in Jaime Fresnedi, a former mayor who held the post for three terms.

San Pedro said he was banking on the citations given to his administration in the areas of governance and environmental protection to earn points among voters, like the enforcement of a plastics ban that earned the city a Galing Pook Award from the interior department, and a citation from the Civil Service Commission for cutting red tape.

Fresnedi, on the other hand, announced that he has the backing of the Iglesia Ni Cristo.

While on the campaign trail, he harped on the allegations of graft against his opponent, including the “99 complaints” filed in the Office of the Ombudsman by a former city hall employee over ghost projects and allegedly overpriced contracts. San Pedro, however, dismissed the complaints as a mere political gimmick.

In Caloocan City, father-and-son team incumbent Mayor Enrico “Recom” and Ricojudge Janvier “RJ” Echiverri are going up against another father-and-son tandem.

Outgoing Caloocan 1st District Rep. Oscar “Oca” Malapitan will face RJ Echiverri for the mayoralty while his son, Dale Gonzalo, a former barangay chair, will face Recom Echiverri for the House seat being vacated by the older Malapitan.

Although there are other contenders for these posts, the Echiverri-Malapitan rivalry has generated the most interest. The Echiverris, in power for the last nine years, have talked about continuous progress while the Malapitans have vowed to usher in “a new dawn” for the city.

The elder Echiverri claimed he had made the city more investor-friendly but Oscar Malapitan noted that Caloocan had no three-star hotels, sprawling malls or world-class cinemas. With a report from Alex Austria