Avoiding the heat

Who is that American politician who said that “if you don’t like the heat, get out of the kitchen”?

Politicians and those who live within the realm of the public domain should know the risk of being in the public eye, particularly those who want to attain power through the democratic electoral process. Those who want to enter into the public square should accept as part of their quest the minutest scrutiny on their character and fitness for public office.

As they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch – every meal has its price. If one were invited, there is always something to it so that one must be prepared to pay the price, otherwise, he or she should not accept the invitation or must be wary of the price to be exacted and decide whether to sell or not.

I am opening the caveat because, on at least two occasions, I was informed that the camp and family of Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez are “hurting” by my incision of his public utterances and actuations.

As the old folks would say, “kon wala pilas indi mahapdian”. One can rub salt over the skin and would not fell the pain. It is a different situation if one has a cut.

In the past Alvarez has sailed through the electoral process because there was no significant opposition, but this time he had thrown his hat into the hot political contest and thus he must learn and roll with the punches, so to speak, of the public debate.

In this contest, every available tool is used against the opponent or, as the saying goes, including the kitchen sink.

A beautiful lady has this advice for him – the only way to avoid getting into the heat is for him to withdraw which I don’t think he would, because so much is at stake and so many people who banked on him have much to lose.

Let’s take it the other way. One radio station under the control (complete control, mind you) of the Alvarez camp has been unleashing day in and day out every conceivable attack against Governor Alfredo Marañon. So massive is the daily attack against the governor that listeners get mental diarrhea and because the same things are repeated hourly by different people saying the same things with little spices of sneering and inanities, people have learned to change stations.

I know for a fact (they told me their lament) that several block timers in this station were axed, their contracts cancelled within minutes after they said something good about the governor or his allies.

We should not begrudge or blame the actuations of the radio station. That is part of the contest and so must the Alvarez camp accept and face realities of this contest. The electoral contest is a give and take reality – what they do to their opponents, they must be more than prepared for the response from the other side. As in boxing, one must take the punches as much as he delivers his.

Alvarez wants to be governor, the top post in the province. If barangay captains and mayors can be scrutinized with seriousness and in depth, more so should the candidate for this highest office in the province. It is vital to place him under microscopic inquiry to determine whether he is a better person than the incumbent Gov. Marañon to lead us for the next three years.

It is therefore an error to prevent an incisive look into his character, his responses to stimulating and challenging situations so that we can best make an intelligent choice.

Alvarez would not have found himself under critical observation if he had not chosen this path. We would have left him alone in his comfort zones, with his wealth and privilege of a historic family.

We would be remiss in our duty as members of the Fourth Estate to keep silent; similarly, his media stable is engaged in another look at the governor and his programs and by this way – in the clash of opinions, the voters can make a good decision.

There was a time when Alvarez ran for office and because there was no serious opposition he glided into office. There was nothing to say because no matter what we did, he would have won.

But Alvarez and his camp should be reminded that he and his group created the situation in which they find themselves. I believe that they miscalculated and thus must carry the burden of convincing us that he is better qualified with credentials of performance to present to the electorates.

He launched the war; he should not be squeamish about winning it. Was it not Shakespeare who said “ambition should be made of sterner stuff”? The fainthearted need not tread this path.*

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