When musical chairs fail

Something went wrong in the Musical Chairs for the city government in Davao. And, obviously, the patriarch of the dynasty did not play the right music because when filing time for certificates of candidacy came, one of the members refused to sit on the vacant chair. Everybody knows how the Duterte family has been monopolizing top elective positions in the city. After completing the three terms allowed by the Constitution, then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte virtually handed over the mayoralty to his feisty daughter, Sarah, who did the job competently, with himself as her vice mayor.

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But now that Daddy Duterte is qualified to run for the post again, he is reclaiming his old position, and has picked his son, Paolo to run as his vice mayor. For his daughter, incumbent mayor Sarah, he has picked the congressional seat in the first district. But Sarah apparently decided that once is enough, she has dug in her heels and has refused to file a certificate of candidacy for the Congress office, creating a problem for the dynasty. The trouble is that the last-minute replacement may not be of the caliber to beat the incumbent, another dynasty member, a son of former Congressman Prospero Nograles.

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The oppositionists to the new Cyber Law have a defender in Senator Miriam Santiago who has declared that the Supreme Court will junk it. Why is she so sure? Has she told them already? Maybe she just wants to annoy President Aquino and Senator Juan Ponce Enrile who sound as if they believe in the provisions of that law. Indeed, the supposed penalties are a bit harsh, and may need amendments, but it would not be right to altogether remove any punitive portions. What if someone is libeled via social media and his or her business, reputation, and even life is destroyed? Will the one who did it just go scot-free?

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In print and broadcast journalism, we have to be very, very careful about what we write about people because our libel laws are very strict. Even if what we write is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, if the supposed victim can prove that we had malicious motives (even if we truly did not) we’re in big trouble. So there must also be a way of sanctioning those who abuse the privilege. What is sauce for the gander should be sauce for the goose, shouldn’t it?

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In Ilocos Sur, the family of Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson has also apportioned among themselves the top positions in the province and districts. Chavit himself is reportedly no longer bidding for another term, but has fielded his sons and even his in-laws for the vital posts. His son, Luis, has filed his CoC for governor, while the other son, is running for congress, to get back the position in the first district that he had to leave when he had to serve time in a Hongkong prison. His uncle, Chavit’s cousin, Eric Singson, is aiming for the second district. I think an in-law, a certain Deogracias Savellano is also running for another post, but I can no longer remember what.

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I was surprised to also hear that former sports leader, Michael Keon, a first cousin of the Marcos siblings, is now running for mayor of Laoag. Didn’t he fight it out with cousin Imee for the governorship of Ilocos Norte in the last election? Well, Laoag is a safer bet, none of his cousins will run against him there. By the way, for the younger generation: Keon is the son of Elizabeth, the sister of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, whose father, if I remember right, was Australian. He is best remembered for putting up the successful sports organization called “Gintong Alay”. Now, why haven’t they harnessed him again to help our sports program?

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A news item in the Philippine Star yesterday questioned what happened to the infamous fertilizer scam that had exuded such a terrible stench right after the 2010 election. Has it been deodorized? The writer of the item wondered why nothing has come out from the Sandiganbayan when, in fact, there was such a to-do over it then. Perhaps it is because the crime is so complicated, its tentacles are all over the country, where those who have participated in it must be trembling in their boots, now that someone has raked it up. Indeed, something should be done now, because elections are nearing, and many of the culprits are in the race again.

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It is now clear why Leni Robredo, the widow of the late Local Government secretary Jesse, had been persuaded to run for congress in the Third District of Camarines Sur. She is being pitted against two other women from the powerful clans, Charisna Ante and Nelly Villafuerte, and the people there want someone to break the hold of the warring political ones. There were supposed to be five candidates in all, but the other two gave up and are believed to have done so to support Mrs. Robredo. Well, we wish her luck, and commend her for her prudence in agreeing to run for Congress, and not for senator, which would have been too taxing, and too expensive for a newcomer. Good luck to her, and good luck also to Camarines Sur.*

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