Bing-Mo-No?

The broadcasters who are identified with the camp of Monico Puentevella and Renecito Novero are peddling this tandem in the next year's election - Bing Leonardia for congressman, Monico for mayor and Novero for vice mayor, thus Bing-Mo-No.

Prior to the Mayor's birthday on July 10, the broadcasts from Novero's camp declared with the authority of an ex cathedra that the tandem of Leonardia for congressman, Vice Mayor Thaddeus Sayson for Mayor and Renecito Novero for Vice Mayor is a done deal. No question about it that agreement had already been made.

But this statement was readily debunked by Leonardia and Sayson and councilors of Grupo Progreso who told media in several fora that there is no such agreement and that the choice for vice mayoralty candidate of Grupo Progreso had not been decided upon. No meeting between Novero and Leonardia also took place.

Novero attended the birthday party of Leonardia and he did go round shaking hands like a man of the house, and creating some sneers in the process.

Was he invited? He said he was, and that is confirmed by information that one Horace Yap sent him the invitation but whether this was with the consent of the mayor or not, is another matter. Anyway, that party was an open one and a little decency dictates that a person who comes to greet, should not be shunted aside, except that Novero was clearly campaigning thus turning a party into a campaign sortie.

That riled some, though I see no harm in it, but politics is a jealous lover.

Councilors Al Espino, Homer Bais and Dindo Ramos thought it proper to avoid bumping into Novero so they decided to stay away.

While Bais was more cordial, in keeping with his character, Espino was frank and declared that he cannot stay in the same room with Novero whose “sins” against Grupo Progreso are many. He recited them and said he finds it uncomfortable, to be more polite about it, to be there. To him Novero is a persona non grata and, rather than make a scene, choose to go elsewhere.

There are people who are pushing for Novero to be Sayson's running mate but, while Novero is qualified, there are certain considerations that should make Grupo Progreso think several times in adopting Novero. Sure he can bring in votes but there are risks. Is the risk worth their unity?

I would not have considered this risk, but for Novero's media people. While they attack Cong. Anthony Golez, they do not show support for Bing, and while they do not attack Sayson, they are rooting for Monico and Novero.

The targets of Novero's media attacks are Golez and Vladimir Gonzales, Novero's possible opponent, but not Monico.

Novero also declared that, in the event he is taken in by Grupo Progreso, he will bring along the councilors who belong to Monopal of 2010 and who are the opposition in the present Sangguniang Panlungsod. Can they be loyal to Leonardia and Sayson?

Aside from Councilor Archie Baribar, who has shown independence and who decides in favor of Grupo Progreso's programs when he sees their value, the other councilors are blind followers of Puentevella so that there is no guarantee that they will work for Sayson and, in fact, can sabotage Sayson to favor Puentevella and Novero.

That Bing-Mo-No scenario is now being played out in the Novero-Monico media campaign should forewarn Leonardia, Sayson and Grupo Progreso.

In sum, can they be trusted? What assurances are there? Promises made now to win can be broken when victory is attained. That is politics.

While Novero tries to downplay, and is saying that the conflict of the past should be relegated to the past, that principle is a dangerous one and even opportunistic.

Novero is a nice fellow who tries to befriend everybody, but what he does to present himself as a good man of who he is, his paid media demolish. They have attacked Bing and Grupo Progreso without let-up since June 2010.

I remember one of them calling the councilors as “animal” and “lampingasan.” How then can Grupo Progreso be comfortable with him when he did not rein in his media?

These things one cannot just be swept under the rug because they not only leave a bad taste, they also inflict pain on people and their families.

If this scenario succeeds, Bing would be left impotent –checked mate by Monico as Mayor and Novero as vice mayor and possibly a majority of the councilors. Grupo Progreso shall have been emasculated and decapitated and destroyed as a political organization, its unity devastated.

Bing would be left an orphan and the possibility that he can get reelected in 2016 would be placed in serious doubt.

There are other considerations but that will wait for later.*

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