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Ruffy Magbanua

A CLOSER look at how Cagayan de Oro politics have been faring lately shows Congressman Rufus Rodriguez   leading the pack in the mayoral race in this City of Golden Friendship.

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Since the start of the local campaign, the fire of  support continues to flicker on the side of Rufus’ Team Harus, a positive sign that change is definitely coming to Cagayan de Oro. After all,  we deserve a true-blue Cagay-anon to steer this billionaire city into becoming a world-class metropolis in the making.

Lest I can be misconstrued, my warm openness and kind words to Rufus has nothing to do with politics or the old friendship or the stories I had made for him during his early days as the emerging Cagayan de Oro leader or my  intimate association I have had with the Rodriguez family.

I speak from the heart as a taxpayer and a law abiding citizen who has long embraced this city as my second home.

Perhaps no one could ever argue with me that Rufus has bannered the name Cagayan de Oro and Mindanao for that matter in the halls of Congress – with pride, spontaneity and clarity of purpose. Every time Rufus occupies the lectern, the name Rodriquez takes the front page the next day.

There is no debate therefore that Rufus, long regarded as a media darling,   has been – and will always be — a good copy for both the local and national press, the international media included.

With due respect to the previous House representatives that we have had,  Rufus has outshined them all in terms of eloquence, relevance and pro-active leadership, to the many significant house bills sponsored and authored, and  to the billions of pesos worth of infrastructure projects implemented in the city.

To some, Rufus may not be the perfect ideal of a leader but if we have to weigh in closely to the three aspirants for the city hall, Rufus has got the sterling edge  — brain and heart combined, and the needed stamina to work 24/7.

Dongkoy Emano is a patriarch no more and a health laggard at that. Oca Moreno, on the other hand, is  an embattled mayor with a string of corruption cases lodged against him.  His political career is fading slowly into the  maelstrom of oblivion.

All veterans in local politics, Dongkoy and Oca have already said their pieces of local politics. The time has come  to hang up their  political gloves – for good.

We know pretty well how Cagayan de Oro was governed under their watch and if we have to rate them, maybe a passing grade for Emano and a dismal failure for Moreno.

There is no denying the fact that in this era of global competitiveness, Cagayan de Oro has no reason to remain status quo. The city has to take the road most travelled  if it has to catch up with other booming cities like Davao and Cebu.

To realize this journey, we need a dynamic leader with nothing in  mind  but a clear vision and political will to leapfrog Cagayan de Oro into becoming a metropolitan city livable to all –  rich or poor. With the right team and support of Cagay-anons, I think Team Rufus can make it with flying colors.

Because of retrograded brand of leadership, incumbent Mayor Moreno has failed to deliver what Cagay-anons had been expected of him: teamwork, transparency and good governance.

Oca, with all his intransigent behavior toward the city council, has failed to unite the elected local lawmakers in his favor, particularly those Dongkoy wards  who have reportedly vowed to serve the people of Cagayan de Oro, but failed to do so in their three-year or more terms as city councilors.

All throughout the years of Moreno’s  reign, city hall has been a house of gimmicky and politicking, amass with  battle royals as the die-hards of Dongkoy explicitly throwing political dirt with gusto at Moreno, et al.

And what a comedy, both camps have accelerated their political fracas — all for greed and supremacy in the city hall as we get closer to the May 9  national and local elections.

With over half-a-million Cagayan-anons watching on the sideline, the non-stop city hall political brawl was a disgrace in the highest order. In many ways, it had affected the delivery of basic services to the people of Cagayan de Oro – all because  we elected the incompetent, the vultures of power, the arrogant and corrupt “public servants” in government.

We need to change the human face of city hall. Enough with Emano and Moreno! The time has come for a Rodriquez to direct the city to where it intends to be: growth with equity to all.

With confidence, Team Rufus has that fervor shining high to serve this city with utmost dedication, sincerity and transparency under its “Heed” agenda: Health, Education, Employment and Dwelling. As envisioned, this program of government for the city will eventually lead to a sustainable and inclusive growth down to the grassroots. How do you like Cagayan de Oro waxing an image of a Singapore or a Hongkong?

With Digong Duterte in Malacanang and Rodriguez in Cagayan de Oro, the dream of turning city into a regional  powerhouse is not farfetched if we are intelligent enough to choose visionary leaders with hearts dedicated to public service and compassion for the Filipino people.

E-mail: ruffy44_ph2000@yahoo.com

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