BY ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
BACOLOD City’s vice mayoral candidate Caesar Distrito has this current dilemma that is probably hard to twist even if he ventures into a new style of campaign.
Months ahead of the official campaign period for local candidates, Grupo Progreso (GP) – previous political party of the Distritos for some 12 years – released a video of the vice mayoral candidate endorsing Bing Leonardia for mayor with all praises.
Just minutes after the video was posted in social media, it immediately went viral. Netizens “feasted” on it, by liking, hearting and sharing. In the video, Caesar called Mayor Bing a “visionary leader” that no one had equaled yet. He said the construction of the world-class New Government Center (NGC) was a manifestation that, indeed, Bacolod was one of the most beautiful highly-urbanized cities in the country.
“It was just a dream of other mayors who came before him, but it was only Mayor Leonardia who made it,” Caesar said in the video, referring to the NGC.
Furthermore, Caesar stressed he “idiolized” Mayor Bing for making Bacolod a “growth center” in Negros Occidental. Then, it generated at least 50,000 jobs for Bacolodnons, and others from the nearby cities and municipalities.
The establishment of the Bacolod City College (BCC) for poor but deserving Bacolodnons also earned praises from Caesar. He also thanked the incumbent mayor for establishing the Education Training Center School (ETCS) Campus 4 in the Reclamation Area.
Caesar furthered by also praising Mayor Bing for the realization of the Bacolod Economic Highway (BEH) that connects the barangays of Sum-ag, Cabug, Handumanan, Feliza, Mandalagan, Mansilingan, Estefania and Bata.
Mayor Bing’s efforts of establishing two biggest relocation sites in the city – the 89-hectare “Progreso Village” in Vista Alegre and the Abada-Escay Relocation Center – were also admired by Caesar.
And most of all, when Mayor Bing became a solon of Bacolod (2013-2016), he poured in P3.5 billion in the city’s various infrastructure projects, according to Caesar.
With all these praises and admiration for Mayor Bing, Caesar now has a dilemma in case he will be launching an attack against the mayor or GP in next year’s campaign.
Of course, every time he opens his mouth, he should be watchful of the wordings he’ll utter else it will boomerang against him.
Caesar, a lawyer by profession, cannot be discounted as one of the eloquent speakers. He talks sense as always. So in order to “lock” his wings from spreading, the GP found this potent material against him. I tried to contact him but to no avail as press time.
Politics is (really) a game. Tony Wright, former member of the parliament of the United Kingdom, said before people perceive politicians to be playing a game in pursuit of political advantage rather than work earnestly to solve the issue of the day.
“The corrosive consequence of the game of politics is that everything that a politician says, or does, is treated with suspicion because of negative assumption about why it is being said or done.”
Political betrayal is not new in the Philippines. It even started during the Spanish-era up to now. The only difference, however, is that in this modern era, gadgets like cellphones, laptops, among others can easily capture and record thing(s) that can be used as evidence in the future.
Like what happened to Caesar, for sure he never assumed and presumed that time will come that he’ll be “jumping ship” once he runs for a higher office. And that he never anticipated that everything he said “good” for the mayor will be used against him so he can’t further harm GP and the Mayor Bing per se.
Well, it’s now a potent reminder for Caesar that politics is game of friends, according to Jean Chretien, former prime Minister of Canada.
However, Roman Philosopher and Politician Marcus Tullius Cicero also stressed there are no true friends in politics. So without valuing his political friendship with GP people, Caesar is now placed in “hot water” situation.
Even her mom, Simple, who is also former GP, and now running for councilor under ABB or Albee for Better Bacolod (ABB), is also being ridiculed on FB. As if the guns and cannons of GP are now being focused to both mother and son so to render them inutile as early as now.
Pitiable! But it’s the price for leaving the group that once made them the “Honorable” of Bacolod. And whether they like or not, they will suffer the brunt of political trauma that they themselves created.
Question: How will they survive it?
The answer is: It remains to be seen!
But in case there will be no more remedy, it is not far that both Caesar and his mother will both lose in the elections next year. And if this happens, it’s the end of the Distritos in Bacolod.
So sad! But that’s politics.
So Caesar and Simple should always bear in mind that when they decide, be sure all their roads are clear and flawless./PN
