WELL…well, it seems something’s afoot in the 4th District of Iloilo, particularly in the Municipality of Dumangas.
I must say the coincidence is uncanny as we’re going to talk about a somewhat unexpected twist of fate to the town’s political scene, specifically its current mayor Ronaldo Golez or “Onal” as he prefers to be called.
Why coincidence? Today happens to be the town’s annual fiesta and from all intents and purposes whatever happens to Mayor Onal will not only affect him but the whole political scene of Dumangas and the 4th District of Iloilo.
Last Sunday while having my usual caffeine fix at Starbucks this came up: It appears that current 4th District congressman Braeden John Biron just transferred residence from Barotac Nuevo to Dumangas. Is this the beginning of the end of current Dumangas mayor Onal Golez’s political relevance?
This was confirmed by Fralyn Marfori, Comelec election officer III in Dumangas. According to her, “last Thursday, April 29, 2021, accompanied by his father, former congressman Ferjenel Biron, current 4th District congressman Braeden John Biron had his residence transferred to Dumangas from Barotac Nuevo.”
And it does seem rather curious. Yes, people transfer residence for various reasons, sometimes on a whim. But for a politician to transfer residence from one local government unit or LGU to another one means only one thing: that politician intends to stand for an elective position in that LGU.
What makes it “curiouser and curiouser” is that Braeden John Biron is currently the congressman of the 4th District and that includes Dumangas and Barotac Nuevo, so really it does not matter if he is a resident of Barotac Nuevo or Dumangas or in any town within the said district unless he plans to run for a local position in Dumangas, mayor, for instance.
And if that is indeed the case, what happens to current Mayor Onal come the 2022 local elections? He still has one more term and it is common knowledge that he is supported by the Birons.
If he is on his last term as mayor, then no problem, he can retire from politics and join Primo Pablito Araneta at the Iloilo Musicians Guild (you see, underneath that politician façade, Mayor Onal is basically an artist, a singer and a very good one at that).
The thing is, he still has another term and very few options; one, he can stick with the Birons and slide down as vice mayor. Going against Braeden John Biron is another option provided he can rally on his side the natives of Dumangas and has resources that can match that of the Birons, otherwise he should just forget this option. As Board mMember, I’m sure Rolly Distura or Domingo Oso are not inclined to give up their seats to accommodate Mayor Onal.
There’s another option. Mayor Onal can run for Congressman of the 4th District of Iloilo.
As your “friendly neighborhood political pundit” let’s analyze the political landscape of the Province of Iloilo with emphasis on the 4th District.
Current governor Arthur Defensor Jr. is facing the greatest challenge of his career and that is the COVID-19 pandemic. He has proven himself worthy to the task. Through his political will and leadership, Iloilo Province has withstood the onslaught of the virus and survived almost unscathed comparing it to the tragedy now happening in Metro Manila Plus.
And that has cemented his position as the leader “who will lead his people to the promise land” (don’t take it literally, it’s just a figure of speech). Defeated gubernatorial candidate Ferjenel Biron is very much aware of that and is not in the mood for another embarrassing defeat.
So before he becomes totally politically irrelevant, Ferjenel has to run for an elective position come 2022 elections and the easiest way for him is as congressman of the 4th District of Iloilo; all he has to do is tell his son, current congressman Braeden John, to play politician somewhere else.
The collateral damage is, of course, current Dumangas mayor Onal who , shall we say, is now caught in a political dilemma. But then again, I could be wrong and things might turn out differently.
And I’ll end on a different note: It was during the watch of Mayor Onal Golez that an ordinance was adapted entitled “An Ordinance commemorating July 9 of every year hereafter as the death anniversary of Hon. Tomas Nava Buenaflor, former Municipal President of the Municipality of Dumangas”.
Don Tomas Nava Buenaflor served as Municipal President of Dumangas for seven years 1917-1919 and 1923-1928 and as Representative of the 4th District for four terms 1928-41.
If it means anything, Don Tomas Nava Buenaflor is my grandfather. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com)/PN
