INDEED it is no figment of one’s imagination learning that this and that politician is known to have symbiotic relationship with this and that underworld leader or big boss of crime syndicates. And it is an open secret that in certain areas in the country politicians themselves are even the top brass of crime groups masqueraded with the looks of dignity because of the power of his and sometimes her illegally amassed fortune.
We say they have symbiotic relationship because politicians depend from the boss of crime gangs for their protection and as source of goons for intimation of voters during election season; and the syndicate leaders get their own influence and protection from the clutches of the law from the politicians they helped install to power.
And, as it is at the national scene, regional political situation is no exception. Even in our very own Davao City history, long past and recent, will tell us that at certain period of time there were persons known for their connection with organized shady group who used their popularity cum notoriety as ticket to their successful rise in politics.
Unfortunately, that is the way Philippines politics go.
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Again the dominance of the Garcias in the second congressional district seems to have found a worthy challenger. Yes, this happened the other day when second district councilor Danilo Dayanghirang who is winding his last 3-year term filed his certificate of candidacy for congressman. He will be up against incumbent Vincent Garcia. Some elections back councilor Danny missed an insignificant number of votes to oust a Garcia in a tightly-contested congressional election.
Of course Danny at that time failed to get the endorsement of the local political god, Duterte the father who was then the city mayor. Towards the wind-up of the campaign the Garcias kept on banding in the entire district they had the support of the mayor. Apparently this was not refuted. Therefore the voters may have taken it to be true. So Dayanghirang lost by a slim margin.
Now, after more than a decade the consistent topnotch-councilor is back to haunt the Garcia’s hold in the district. But somehow, his challenge could again face a major bar. During the national convention launching a new party supportive of the incumbent goddess in the Davao City politics, Mayor Sara, there was no qualm whatsoever from the incumbent congressman Vincent in thanking the lady mayor for her supposed endorsement of his reelection bid. If this is indeed true, then challenger Danny will be in for a similar situation when he earlier ran for congressman.
We feel that Danny’s main hope for a successful challenge is if the former local political god who now holds a strong national influence, Duterte the father and President of the republic, will manifest his unequivocal support to the councilor’s bid. But will the father lock horns with the rising daughter who is now the acknowledged local political goddess?
He may or may be not in the open. But certainly he or both of them can make it appear they are each to his own man or her own woman in a charade that any which way the political fortune favors both of them benefit.
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Meanwhile, in the third district, as of today it appears that Congressman Isidro “Sid” Ungab is well on his way to another term. There is still no known challenger. And if there will be he or she sure has a lot of mountains to climb and villages to visit to show to the third district electorate that he or she is for real. And certainly he/she must have a huge treasure chest to run his campaign.
On the other hand in the council race, it is already clear who among the incumbents are running for reelection. We have councilor Wilfred “Nonoy” Al-ag who was first to file. We have councilor Conrado Baluran who filed his CoC the other day. For now councilor Myrna Ortiz is still silent. She may be the one who is contemplating to contest Ungab’s reelection bid. After all, she was in the top wrung among the district’s winning councilors in many elections past. But there are also new personalities with the same old names tagged in their belts. For example we have two younger Villafuerte scions wanting to run. One is the son of last termer councilor Jocylen Villafuerte and the other is another Villafuerte, a scion of retired City Health Officer Josephine Villafuerte. Still another one is the mother of incumbent councilor Petite Principe. Wow, this is getting to be a family affair ha?
As to the first district of the city one guy surfaced the other day as challenger to the erstwhile uncontested bid of Presidential son Congressman Polong Duterte. By the filer of the COC’s name alone we can deduce that he is Muslim. Why and how he gets the guts to throw his hat against a seemingly granite wall to bump, we have no idea. But there must be.
