A storm center

Oh, I suppose that Julius Sayson, the 31-year-old candidate for mayor of Bacolod City, had never anticipated that he was to become the storm center of a heated and vicious debate.

For that matter, whoever may have spurred Sayson to file his certificate of candidacy for mayor for Bacolod, may never have imagined that it could rouse such debates as who is who and for whom he was running.

That running controversy is over Julius Sayson whose bid to be mayor of Bacolod undermines the candidacy of Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, the Nationalist Party Coalition bet, and Rep. Monico Puentevella of the MKK.

The case is one for the books. Shows you how political handlers can suddenly alter perceptions and observations one way or the other.

The fundamental question – who prompted Julius to file his COC despite his lack of the necessary equipment and facilities with which he could mount a media campaign?

Worse, reports said, after he had filed his COC Julius just went home, packed his personal belonging and disappeared for good.

But not before he had managed to tell a radio station that he has a lot of friends and supporters who are willing to support his drive for the mayoralty of Bacolod.

That’s the most intriguing part of the story. His own father, Erwin, reportedly said Julius does not have any property in his name. In effect, he does not have the chance to spend for his campaign. Why, he had not even paid his income tax. But those are things which had gone over the heads of broadcast journalists. Most of these had been over the reports about Julius having been seen in the company of Ramon Viva, a Monico trusted media handler.

The problem with the report is that there was no name mentioned as to what he had to do with Viva.

That immediately triggered a flurry of denials from Viva. The poor fellow was very clear — who had seen him with Julius and where? Regal Hotel, daw? When?

And Viva pointed out that he had been undergoing dialysis in a local hospital for a kidney ailment. Of course, Puentevella later came out with a denial of any involvement with Julius’s action and insisted that he had always maintained a clean level of campaign, with no innuendoes or underhanded tactics such as undermining Sayson’s chance of grabbing a majority of the city votes.

On the other hand, there were those who also claimed that the entire episode may have been orchestrated by Sayson, himself.

So, you see how things turn out later into a major controversy with hardly any shred of evidence one way or the other to pinpoint who had prompted Julius to file his of candidacy for the mayoralty race.

Even MassKara’s celebratory events seem to have been subordinated to a certain extent over the controversial Julius and his whereabouts.

That was a minor event which had become a sizzler and occupied the attention of many.

Of course, it’s going to be solved soon. And Julius may end up as a small fry who for a short period of time, became the symbol of what a simple youngster can do.

At the hands of spinmasters of the two or three political groups.

Now, well, that’s for the moment. A major distraction.

Meanwhile, I just want to remind every Fabricanian that Lita Aledron, wife of Mariano Aledron of the Insular Lumber Company, will be buried this afternoon at the Rolling Hills after a Mass at 2 p.m.

Another major figure – Fe Dumangcas-Roxas, wife of Wilton Roxas, will be buried tomorrow morning. Her remains are now with the St. Peters’ Memorial Homes in Alijis.

Several of their children have managed to come home including Ferdinand from Vancouver, Canada and his brother from Las Vegas.

Fe’s demise, I really felt bad about it. She was hale and hearty the last time I had seen her. And she had always been the faithful guardian of her husband, Wilton, my friend.

Wilton and I were childhood playmates. But I had missed seeing him for a long time. The reason – every time I visited him when he was felled by a stroke, I hope to be able to see him again before they break the news of Fe’s death to him. That could prove devastating to Wilton.

My family members – Bert and Edith Espina, Inday Yolanda, and brother, Oscar and his sons, are supposed to visit the remains of Fe and accompany her burial.

But we are sure how God has taken her into His Bosom for her eternal rest.*

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