Getting high on Joe de V’s political misfortune

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

If there was one Dagupan City official who reportedly got a real high with news of the retreat by the Arroyo-de Venecia tandem for charter change, that could only be Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim.

He lost no time in helping organize an anti-Chacha rally in the city if only to show his erstwhile political ally Joe de V that the latter’s hold on the city has already started to slip. 

Some say it’s an indication that Mayor Benjie has, indeed, began flexing his political muscle in preparation for the expected battle in 2007 for the fourth district crown. But others who think they know the mayor better, it’s all for “negotiating leverage” and more future political concessions before Speaker Joe is left to keep the district all to himself.

Hence, this corner’s fearless prediction as of this week is: come June 1, 2007, Mr. Lim will be laughing all the way to the bank but whether he will still be happily glued to his mayor’s chair will be another story. Meanwhile, Speaker Joe de V will be busy consolidating his forces for another term as speaker.
  

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IS ALVIN HIS OWN MAN NOW? At the rate Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez is shooting those questions about the Magsaysay tourism project in the direction of  Mayor Benjie’s trusted aides, City Administrator Raffy Baraan and City Legal Officer Geraldine Baniqued, am almost tempted to conclude that the real battle royale will not be between JdV and the mayor, but between the mighty Fernandez clan and Benjie.

This is actually a healthy development for the city. There have been too many deals and accommodations between the two in the past that the city stood hapless and defenseless against their tandem.

Now that Alvin appears to be finally becoming his own man, his mayor may no longer find it easy to make the usual deals on the side. And the first thing he should do is to begin addressing his questions to Mayor Benjie, and stop talking to the latter’s alter egos. The “great debate” over the deal on the Magsaysay market is worth watching.

Will the city begin to see a new man in Alvin and a worried Benjie in the next 30 days? Abangan!

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THE PLOT THICKENS.  Here are the latest tidbits on the Magsaysay Park project.

1. Instead of a full blown committee hearing presided by Councilor Teofilo Guadiz III, he was seen merely in a huddle with Mr. Raffy Baraan and Ms. Geraldine Baniqued. And all three reportedly left in a huff shortly and refused to issue any statement to the media. Hmmm. 

2. Ms. Baniqued has started dishing out legal gobbledygook to confuse and dazzle Vice Mayor Alvin, but the man refuses to be fazed. He insists on straightforward explanations.

3. The revelation of Councilor Guadiz that the chair of the Special Pre- Qualified Bids and Awards Committee was a business partner of a board director of Metrostate raised some eyebrows.

4. The income projection for the project appears to have been prepared by the same team that told the city council that the Malimgas Market will be self-sustaining over the years. Instead of the projected millions in revenues, the city is now subsidizing the market operations by the millions due to low occupancy of stalls.

5. The Metrostate, with only P100,000 paid-up capital, is reported to have hired Mayor Benjie’s favorite contractor to clear the Magsaysay Park. Hmmm. Now, I wonder who actually paid the contractor.

Anyway, be entertained by our version of “He said…She said” in this issue.

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CONSOLING JDV.  As a friend, I share the view that Speaker Joe deV did not deserve to be deserted and betrayed by President Arroyo when the going went rough, not after risking his integrity and legacy the way he did the past two weeks.

Fortunately, Joe de V is a pragmatic and a consummate politician, he who always finds a reason to fight another day. Just when everyone in the House media thought he would be sulking and licking his wounds in the privacy of his office, he went to the lion’s den to eat humble pie for the world to see. Anyone who knows the Speaker up close, can only admire his grit and his ability to stand tall, act and speak clearly as a statesman would, acknowledging the might of an angry people.

The day the political tsunami hit the ground, every goodwill he had earned as a Speaker was undoubtedly wiped out. Many of his own allies started offering apologies then blamed him for the debacle.

      But if it’s any consolation to him, the people who rallied against him are also aware that it was Mrs. Arroyo brought this upon him, so they are praying that she, too, will meet her comeuppance soon.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/punchline/)

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