Winners and losers

THERE have been calls for reconciliation, peace, unity – healing if you like – from the winning candidates in the past local election. Among them, House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. who, after two previous easy uncontested elections, had to face up to an aggressive and determined opponent in the person of outgoing Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim during the last midterm polls. Re-elected Manaoag Mayor Napoleon Sales, too, has hinted on harmony following the hotly-contested seat for vice mayor in his town. Perhaps that is easy for them to say. They are, after all, victorious.

De Venecia is facing yet another battle, this time in the bigger arena of the House of Congress for the Speakership, which he has held for four terms running now and a fifth term would be unprecedented in the country’s political history.

The threat to De Venecia will reportedly come from Pablo Garcia, Congressman-elect of the Second District of Cebu, also a known bailiwick of the administration just like Pangasinan is supposed to be, though the provincial result for the senatorial race in the May 14 election now disputes that fact with the victory of the majority of the opposition’s bets.

Garcia, a former governor of Cebu and three-term representative for the province’s Third District, is being backed by the Kampi party. And if we are to believe the pronouncements of Kampi President and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, their nominee has a pretty good chance of grabbing the chair from De Venecia. Lobbying and dealing are now rife behind the halls of the House of Representatives with less than a month before the opening of the 14th Congress.

It remains to be seen whether De Venecia, should he end up turning over the top seat of the House to his Cebuano colleague, will be a fine loser himself as he is a winner although he has proven that he can lose with honor as he did when he lost miserably to then vice President Joseph Estrada.

The idea of amity might not be all that palatable to the losers, at least not so soon. They probably do need some time to lick their wounds, so let’s give them that.

In the meantime, it is refreshing to hear of circumstances as that in Alaminos City wherein the losing mayoralty candidate, retired Col. Cesar Manzano who is also an incumbent city councilor, immediately sent a congratulatory text message to his winning opponent, incumbent Mayor Hernani Braganza. Later on, Manzano even personally went to Braganza’s office wherein they shook hands, gave each other a bear hug, and shared a post-election laugh.

The young Braganza, who almost did not run for re-election due to his disgust over the kind of politics that has been breeding within the present administration’s kind of governance, was overwhelmed by his rival’s political sportsmanship.

If only we could have more of those “friendly fights” everywhere else in the Philippine politics.

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