Lumad

IT was Dongkoy Emano many years ago who said that in politics, there is no such thing as an impartial media. It’s very true (although I can only speak for myself).

Politics is everyone’s concern, no matter the religious belief, personal creed and profession because we are all affected by it.
Media people are still voters who choose their preferred candidates. Preference is guided by many considerations: kinship, friendship, conviction, personal debt or sometimes, and to some, the usual culprit, money.

This early, the declaration of Rep. Rufus Rodriguez to run for mayor has drawn criticisms and attacks from some media people sympathetic to certain politicians. But that is expected and for obvious reasons, too. One may not agree but we all must respect them.

Political leanings among some media people can easily be determined by the way they talk on radio or TV, by the way they write, and by the way they act. And that’s democracy at work. Otherwise, if one cannot have a choice, then there would be tyranny.

So, we go to the contenders. Dongkoy Emano is in his mid-seventies, undeniably old and his health being speculated upon. His friends (and family, perhaps) advised him to retire.

In the initial days of his defeat, he found ways to attack the victor through his favorite media outlets. And why not when he has the luxury of time and money, not to mention his followers who still listen? But after a certain period, when Mayor Oca Moreno did what Dongkoy didn’t do during his time, the latter may have realized the futility of it all. Perhaps, it was time to rest, lick wounds and move forward.

But Mayor Moreno didn’t turn out to be the change the city hoped and craved for. Early in his term, controversies began to hound him, his wife and today, included his son Sean. His personal life has also been questioned and frowned over by many. A recognized leader of our society has been informed but asked that citizens should come up with evidence.

Talking of evidence, we will soon hear of them during the campaign period when the documents provided by a one-time confidante will be divulged, and used by Moreno’s political enemies.

But would these improve Dongkoy’s chances of regaining city hall? Maybe. But even this uncertainty has been doused with cold water when Rep. Rufus Rodriguez announced his mayoral bid.

The A and B classes may not like Moreno anymore but it doesn’t mean they want Dongkoy. They probably will not opt for the nightmare to come back and will just wait, and see for what to come.

Rodriguez has so far stirred the imagination of many. Many hoped and waited for a sign. Even those identified with Dongkoy also waited.

Let me repeat what some “kapitanes” said in the past: Cong, kung si Emano ug Moreno mag-atbang pagka-mayor, Dongkoy gyud mi. Pero kung ikaw ang mukontra kang Dongkoy, imo gyud mi.

I am not saying this still holds. But considering the age of Dongkoy, it is safer for them to side with the younger one who has more time to look forward to.

Rufus’s popularity is no longer a question. But he has a pitfall to watch carefully. And that is the people who would be running with him that may turn off some of his supporters. Some may try to understand that politics is addition. But when it becomes too unacceptable to the stomach, they may spew him out or they may only opt for the leader but not those under him.

Of course, Rufus knows his politics better than anybody. They say Rufus is unlike Dongkoy and Moreno who don’t listen to allies. But that remains to be seen.

Everything is still fluid. One observer said, “One of Rufus’s advantages is that he is a ‘lumad na Kagay-anon.’”
Is this the time for that fulfillment? You decide.