INDEED, the top officials of Davao City headed by Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, are molded exceptionally strong in their religious faith.
The city government has the flag in front of City Hall put on half-mast in compliance with Presidential Proclamation No. 871 which declares a period of national mourning following the death of Pope Francis. The raising of the flag in half-mast will last until the burial of the late Pope on April 26, 2025.
We are one with the city’s local officials as well as the rest of the Davaoeños in mourning the demise of the Pope of the poor – Pope Francis, the first Pontiff from Latin America.
We should also include in our prayers the possible election of a Filipino Pope in Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle after the conclave successfully selects a replacement to the departed universal leader of the Catholic faith.
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As we said in our column a few days back, candidates, including those for local elective positions like mayors or governors down, are already spared from additional bigger expenses and personal interactions, as well as organizing rallies or even town hall meetings.
Meaning, they can now have much reduced movements and hand shaking with people coming from all walks in life. Thanks to all platforms of social media. These give the candidates wider opportunities to reach members of almost all households. Nowadays, almost every person from children to adults to the more seniors, and even the Lumads in the highlands, have mobile phones where candidates’ posted videos of their activities can be seen.
Through the modern gadgets the candidates can communicate their intentions to any of their desired audience. They can deliver formal messages, dance with their fellow candidates, or with anyone from the audience to show that they are willing to engage their constituents. Or they can even clown around just to entice or get the voters’ attention.
Not only that they can save money in the process, they can also have a wider reach even without going to the areas to be seen in flesh by the people.
But of course, if the use of social media platforms as venues of campaigning is giving candidates plenty of benefits and advantages, there is also equal chances of using the same means for destroying the character of the candidates. And such destructive schemes can come unexpurgated without giving away the person doing the character assassination..
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We learned only lately that former third district Congressman Ruy Elias Lopez is again running for the same office he used to occupy years back.
We have no doubt that Ruy Elias is really a good man, an active legislator during his stint in the House of Representatives. And we can be certain that if given the chance, he will not fail his constituents. Unfortunately for him, he seems to be the right person at the wrong time who sorely lack a political organization affiliation.
Lopez, a lawyer by profession, is neither identified with the administration party led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., nor with the now more overt and active opposition, the PDP-Laban- Duterte wing. Adding to the irony of his failure to be allied with the opposition Duterte-wing of the PDP, the rise of its leader, former President Duterte, was largely at the behest of his late father, the late former Mayor Elias Lopez.
The then local opposition in the 1988 Davao City mayoralty election was scouting for a candidate who could possibly beat then OIC Mayor the late Zafiro Respicio, the Cory Aquino golden boy at that time. After so many names were laid on the table and were rejected by the local opposition party then jointly headed by the late elder Lopez, former Senator Landring Almendras, Manuel “Nonoy” Garcia, and businessman Robert Limso, Duterte who attended that meeting was virtually “shoved” by Ruy’s father to become the official candidate. And from there started the almost four decades of Duterte’s lordship in Davao City, with Ruy’s waiting for his chance never came to fruition.
But then that is what politics is all about – once up there if no legal bar exists, the one up there wants to remain on the top and even have his family members prepped for succession or assumption in other elective positions..
And Ruy Elias? Well, he prefers to stay away from patronage politics by not joining any of the more active political groups now existing.
Instead, he decided to run on his own with the help of some of his loyal friends. That way, we are sure, Ruy thinks he owes his position, should he win, to no one except the people of the third district.
But again, knowing how elections are conducted in our country, Ruy Elias’ hope of getting back his former post is as dark as a starless and moonless night. His running could just be one of his big dreams that is far from free.
But honestly, Ruy Elias Lopez is a very qualified candidate except that he does not have what it takes to get elected – organization and money.
We can only wish him good luck.
