LAST MONDAY, May 19, we received an e-mail from a person whose identity is not familiar to us. But we can be certain that he has been reading our columns lately. The e-mail sender provided us with some pieces of information that have something to do with the loss the Garcia-fielded candidate for Congressman in the second district, Javi Garcia Campos, suffered.
From the information shared to us, it can easily be deduced that the annihilation of the Garcias by a newcomer Duterte scion was an offshoot of a feud among family members brought about by interferrence of some close relatives and allegedly by a Davao-based politician who happens to be one of the creations of a leading political figure not just in the Davao Region, in the whole of Mindanao, and even in the whole of the country.
The e-mail sender also informed us that the former President Rodrigo Duterte’s home-grown party, Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (HTL), wanted until the closing of the deadline for the filing of candidacy, to field incumbent Congressman Vincent Garcia.
However, it was during that period that VP Sara and the former President learned about the interference of politicians from the north of the country, from within the region, and from some Garcia relative-businessmen.
It was clear from the information shared with us by the email sender that the politician from the North of the country and the businessman relatives of Congressman Vincent were allegedly “dictating” on the determination and even in the implementation of projects, specifically infrastructure, in the second district.
Yesterday, Vice President Sara’s earlier statement justifying the fielding of her nephew Omar instead of last-termer Vincent was carried in the local papers. The VP categorically mentioned a “communications breakdown” between her and Congressman Vincent.
Our take on the matter, though, is that Representative Vincent could have already gotten wind of VP Sara’s knowing of the internal squabble in the Garcia clan brought about by the interference of a non-Davao City politician, a member of the Garcia family by affiliation.
So we could not find any other reason why Congressman Vincent preferred not to respond to the VP’s communication to him.
Of course, it is only normal that legitimate leaders of the city should frown upon a non-Davaoeño politician and even contractor-relatives conspiring with each other in dictating and cornering project implementation in the city’s second district.
So this time, we are fully convinced that the decision of the Hugpong Party leadership to ease out Vincent is a move in the right direction. What with the knowledge that Javi was hand-picked by the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, a party led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., and backed by his cousin Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Moreover, the politician from the North reportedly forcing his schemes on the Garcias is known as a scion of a long-time ally of the Marcoses, dating back to the incumbency of the President’s namesake and father.
Still, Sara wanted Vincent to banner the Hugpong ticket in the second district, possibly hoping that the incumbent would still have the guts to stop the interference by this northerner politician and his own businessman relative.
But as claimed by the Vice President, the Congressman’s apparent refusal to respond to her communications and continued silence, somehow confirms that Congressman Vincent is not ready to cross swords with the Garcia family members with whom he is presently at odds.
Therefore, the Congressman and the rest of the Garcia family cannot blame the Davaoeños, specifically those from the second district, if they take what VP Sara said about the easing out of the incumbent second district congressman and the debacle of his cousin Javi as gospel truth.
And the e-mail we have received? It could only have come from an “insider.” And it confirmed quite vividly VP Sara’s claim in her talks with the members of the media.
And what is the role of this Davao del Sur politician in the perpetration of the Garcia family members’ apparent deprivation of Cong. Vincent of his sole mandate to oversee the implementation of big-ticket infrastructure and other graciously funded projects in his district?
Or, is this politician still lording over STL operations in the Garcia turf? And, can the VP touch this politician without hurting someone close to her?
For now, we have only the tip of the iceberg. We believe that we have to dig even deeper into this matter.
