Dynastic politics

Up until the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) last Friday, it was reported that incumbent Cebu City North Dist. Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar has yet to decide whether to seek reelection or give way to her father, former congressman Raul del Mar.

The face-off between Cutie and United Nationalist Alliance/Team Rama candidate Annabelle Rama was something that local observers were looking forward to because they wanted to see a match resembling a blood sport.

Annabelle is a feisty woman who does not back down from a fight. Among showbiz denizens, she is a feared entertainment manager because of her acid tongue although some say she has also a soft heart. One observer said that Annabelle pitted against Cutie, who is quite known in movie circles, could have turned the campaign into “The Buzz,” sensational if not vicious version.

Now that Cutie decided to forego reelection, what will be the campaign issues that Cebu City first district voters need to weigh in the Raul-Annabelle contest?

Dynastic politics?

Former congressman Raul del Mar occupied the Congress seat from 1987 to 1998.  When his third consecutive term of office expired, his son Rannie ran for office and won.  For this, he took a leave from his medical profession and held the district seat from 1998 to 2001.

In 2001, Raul Sr. returned to the post and again held it for three consecutive terms which lasted until 2010. Cutie stepped in during the 2010 elections and won the post handily.  Her first term expires next year but instead of defending her performance, she is making way for her father who is already 71 years old.

Dynastic politics is banned by the Constitution but the prohibition is only good on paper.  One does not need the brain of a rocket scientist to understand why Congress deliberately failed to enact enabling rules to implement the law. Almost every politician, from the national down to the local level, has blood relatives occupying elective posts and running for different positions in every election.  And because people seem to tolerate the practice, dynastic politics as an issue has lost its sting. Certainly, Annabelle cannot use the issue against Raul given that her cousin Mike is the incumbent city mayor and brother George is the barangay captain of Basak, San Nicolas.

Will lack of credentials or qualifications beyond the statutory requirement on the part of Annabelle then become the central issue in the north district?

I bumped into Basak San Nicolas barangay captain George Rama in a supermarket early last week, before his cousin Cebu City Michael Rama and Team Rama local candidates filed their certificates of candidacy. George used to be Congressman Tommy Osmena’s reliable campaigner in Cebu City’s south district, a bastonero or party whip who effectively disciplines partisans so that they toe the line.

Nowadays, George is audible in broadcast interviews attacking Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan candidates like Tommy Osmeña who is running against Mike Rama for Cebu City mayor.

From my chit chat with George, I think the Rama camp maybe thinking that Annabelle would have a fair chance of winning the election if Cutie is the opponent. I heard from George that should the Del Mar candidate attack Annabelle, the Rama camp will hit Cutie.

Now that Raul filed his COC, will he question Annabelle’s qualifications?  Will the Rama camp stick to its original strategy?

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Incumbent Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte is making news by defying her father, Vice Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte, the tough guy of Davao City.

Mayor Sarah is presently serving her second term as mayor and was poised to run for her 3rd and last term, but father Rody threw her plans in disarray. After announcing that he will return to his old post as city mayor, he pushed Sarah to run against incumbent Congressman Karlo Nograles in Davao’s first district.

Clinching the district will consolidate the Duterte foothold and the match-up between Sarah and Karlo would have intensified the political rivalry between Rody and former House Speaker Prospero “Boy” Nograles.

The scenario wherein political dynasts conveniently exchange positions to protect vested interests seemed predictable, but to everybody’s surprise, Sarah dropped out of the scene, leaving Rody Duterte scrambling for a candidate to run against Nograles.

People familiar with Rody’s mailed-fist politics must be thoroughly amused because nobody crosses him like that.

Mayor Sarah’s decision is so unreal that I almost fell off my seat while reading the news until I learned that she is pregnant. Some quarters speculate that she defied her father’s wishes because a district-wide campaign may take a toll on her condition.

Now, what kind of parent would allow that to happen?