Proxy wars escalate

Bencyrus Ellorin .

LOWER level elections indubitably serve as proxy wars of higher elective offices.

Despite its being non-partisan, the barangay elections indubitably are mini-wars of dominant political forces and sub-forces.

Generally, here, it is a tug-of-war between the administration of Mayor Oscar Moreno and the dominant opposition. The only peculiarity is that in the past two elections when Moreno won, the number of barangay chairpersons supporting him did not have enough impact. Expectedly in 2013, as an outsider, Moreno did not have the support of majority of the city’s 80 barangay chairpersons. In 2016, hit by many cases and subsequent dismissal orders from the Ombudsman, a contrarian (babag) city council and betrayal by a close ally, many loyalists of the violet camp did not jump over to the mayor’s ship, perhaps, thinking that they will be back in their heydays after the elections.

The turnout of 2016 election was anything, but a convincing win for the Moreno administration.

Would the May 14 barangay polls be any different? In paper, the dominant opposition still has the numbers in terms of barangay chairpersons. Their numbers, as shown in the last elections, however did not translate to votes as half of the city’s barangays, 1 – 40, are literally small, with a few hundred voters. Moreno and 1st District Rep. Klarex Uy have strong sway in the city’s big barangays.

Up for grabs for the city hall in the barangay elections are two ex officio seats in the city council – the Liga ng mga Barangay representative and the Sangguniang Kabaatan federation representative.

This could translate to two more allies at most for the administration or the opposition. Although the numbers now at the city council tilts heavily in favor of the mayor’s party, additional seats for the opposition, if they retain their numbers after the polls, could mean significant power for the minority.

And not only that, given the leadership style of Moreno wherein he does not distinguish political colors when providing basic city hall services, more resources from the barangay could go to the opposition war chest.

But sheer outcomes of basic public services as described by the mayor as “quality services, the people have not experienced before,” could change the loyalties of barangay officials.

Among the biggest barangays, Carmen’s Lorna Uy is set to get reelected. Over at District 2, Barangay Lapasan, which in paper has an opposition barangay chairman, Omar Labuntog is in winning form. Labuntog ran for councilor under the ticket of the then congressman Rufus Rodriguez in 2016. But he has since been “friendly” to city hall. And his barangay, the biggest in the 2nd District, is a recipient of various large projects from the city.

Gusa’s kapitan, Marlo Tabac, a top lieutenant of the Moreno administration, is on roll to have another term.

There are barangays however that are hotly contested and the proxy war is more defined. In Barangay Nazareth, incumbent John Rodriguez, son of 1st District Rep. Maxie Rodriguez and nephew of incumbent barangay chairperson Bebot Rodriguez is fighting with Reina Advincula Nacaya, wife of Councilor Ian Nacaya and daughter of the late councilor Nanding Advincula.

The Rodriguezes were swept into power in Nazareth after lawyer Rufus Rodriguez won an election as congressman in 2007. Whether the Rufus factor is still in effect now that he is not only out of power, but coming out from a poor, third place finish in the 2016 mayoral race, remains to be seen.

Although, defeated by Rufus in the 2013 congressional race, when the former congressman was still allied with Moreno, Councilor Ian Nacaya is the renaissance man of Oro politics. He cut ties with the former political kingpin and became a senior leader at the city council and a trusted ally of the mayor.

A few days ago, a mouthpiece of the violet camp said there are four power blocks in the city, namely: Moreno, Dongkoy, Klarex and Rufus, and that these power blocks would field their respective bets in the barangay polls. This is, of course, a flawed political analysis for the following reasons: 1) the alliance of Moreno and Klarex is well and getting stronger, and they are fielding common bets and using the same political machinery in 2016. 2) Except, perhaps, in Barangay Nazareth, Rufus’s political machinery is moribund with his supporters either taking or wanting to take refuge either under Moreno or the violet camps. That leaves the city with only two power blocks banging heads. The narrative of the violet camp is however being peddled in areas like Bulua to create an impression that there are cracks in the Moreno-Klarex alliance.

In Barangay Bulua, decades of power of the Legaspi family is getting challenged by Sheridan “Shy” Obsioma Maagad. Talk is abuzz that the Legaspis are running out of talents with  former kapitan Endong getting old and sickly and son Al, ending his term, they were left fielding a neophyte, unknown scion. To prevent Maagad’s victory, another bet, Gil Banaag who is identified with the incumbent and the local opposition, has come out to claim that he has the support of Congressman Klarex. That, to me, sounds like a false claim of being the congressman’s anointed one. If that is not a display of deceit, I don’t know what is.