EXACTLY one week ago, this corner opined that Sen. Lorna Regina “Loren” Legarda could be the next congresswoman of Antique. That assumption, however, hinged on the presumed veracity of a survey showing her leading over two other wannabes, namely former governor Exequiel “Boy Ex” Javier and Caluya mayor Genevive Lim Reyes. Of the 1,000 random respondents from the municipalities of San Jose, Sibalom, Bugasong, Culasi, Hamtic, Laua-an, Pandan, Patnongon, and Tobias Fornier, Legarda allegedly bagged 70 percent; Exequiel Javier, 25 percent; and Reyes, two percent.
That is really not surprising. Remember when Loren Legarda ran for vice president in 2004? While she lost the race nationwide to Noli de Castro in 2004, she did win in all the towns of Antique, obviously because she had succeeded in projecting herself as the true kabayan.
Is it because of that and the aforesaid survey that Mayor Reyes has so far not made up her mind to join the House race? If our Lapsus Calami columnist was right in his analysis (Aug. 16 issue), Reyes would run for congresswoman only if Loren would not. After all, as president of the League of Municipalities – Antique chapter, she has gained the trust and confidence of the incumbent mayors of the province.
For whatever reason, on the other hand, the senator herself has not made up her mind. If our informer was correct, Legarda still prefers and hopes to be appointed secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) toward the end of her Senate term in 2019. Otherwise, why does the post remain temporarily occupied by acting – repeat, acting – Secretary Virginia Nazarrea Orogo?
Legarda knows it is no joke to face Javier who has alternately run and won for congressman and governor of Antique for three decades, whereas her own popularity is not homegrown. She has to pool the support of strong political allies led by Gov. Rhodora “Dodod” Cadiao who defeated Javier in 2016 with a convincing margin of 31,322 – her 131,203 votes against his 99,881. Until then, Boy Ex Javier had suffered no defeat.
A rematch between the two is in 2019 is impossible. Since Javier’s congressman son Paolo is barred from re-election, being on his third and last term, it’s he who would run against re-electionist Cadiao. The latter could regard the younger Javier as a weaker opponent because, though he won for congressman against a former mayor in 2016, his votes totaled only 120,096.
Add to that the gubernatorial survey with 1,000 respondents giving Cadiao 66 percent in a one-on-one against Paolo Javier’s 32 percent, with only two percent undecided.
To the Javiers, the alleged “UP group” that did the survey was incredible and therefore would not repel the father-and-son tandem.
Sally Zaldivar Perez, a former Antique governor, keeps her fingers crossed that Senator Legarda would file her certificate of candidacy for congresswoman come October.
Javier must be wishing for the President to appoint Legarda as DSWD secretary because his own fortune depends on it. Otherwise, he would have to raise campaign issues against Legarda, one of which is her being a non-Antiqueña who could not speak the native Kinaray-a dialect.
But Legarda could always claim political and Antiqueña blood running in her veins – starting from way back 1919-1922 when her maternal great grand uncle Vicente Gella was governor of Antique.
Meanwhile, Javier just might succeed in asking Mayor Genevive Lim Reyes to “rest muna” as quid pro quo. She owes him a debt of gratitude; he had been her political ally and supporter since the beginning of her political career in 2010. (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
