WILL he be there? That’s the question often asked before the Pag-ila 2025 for Cagayan de Oro’s candidates for mayor and vice mayor.
On Friday while we were prepping for that Pag-ila, that question was asked three times in one hour, coming from three Cagayanons. In the morning right before the event, the question came up again from another Cagayanon.
Obviously, that particular mayoral candidate has become known for his absence from any candidates’ forum. It’s kind of his signature move.
There’s another political candidate who seemed to have copied his boss’s signature move but his absence wasn’t as obvious since he’s running for a lower position which may be treated as insignificant by the nonchalant voter.
It’s the Commission on Elections that invited CDO’s candidates to Pag-ila 2025. So, does that mean that the absent candidate doesn’t respect Comelec? Hmmm. After all, even CDO District 2 Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who’s running for reelection, was present at the Pag-ila for CDO’s congressional candidates. Which had a 100-percent attendance, by the way, with much thanks to Rodriguez and Bebs Morales for District 2, and reelectionist District 1 Rep. Lordan Suan and Carmen Barangay Capt. Kikang Uy for District 1.
Rodriguez could have ignored the invite since he’s running with no major rival. But he was there.
Perhaps a candidate’s absence was a sign of shyness? How can a shy person morph into a political candidate and eventually a politician if he wins in the election? Paki-explain. Thank you.
Pag-ila’s questions were in Bisaya because CDO’s dialect is Bisaya. Candidates could answer in Bisaya. It was like talking with a Bisaya friend but with a time limit and with Parasat covering it live.
CDO’s political candidate is expected to have basic knowledge of CDO’s concerns and how to solve them. What’s the use of running for public office if he’s merely making pa-cute? At least two candidates did answer with, Puede pass? Meaning they chose not to answer the question.
If it’s politically incorrect to call some people as nuisance candidates, I sincerely apologize. But at least they became comic reliefs. In this chaotic campaign season, Pinas is in dire need of comic reliefs. Should I add a “whew” to that? Okay. Whew.
Now that Pag-ila 2025, and the income tax and binignit seasons are so over, there are happenings in Pinas that are still not over: graft and corruption, impeachment, “Bring him home,” political dynasties, traffic, commissions, unfinished government projects, vote buying and vote selling, and all the other hard habits to break that the Pinoy has learned to accept as the country’s standard operating procedures.
As if those SOPs are not enough, some parts of CDO have no water or have brown water. Meanwhile, some people are fighting over who’s going to manage the water district.
But the common denominator in Pinas’s highly urbanized cities (HUC) is the traffic. The Pinoy who lives in these HUCs has to schedule his day around that traffic. Once he leaves his house, good luck na lang. For example, it’s already a given that if a CDO uptowner leaves downtown CDO at 6 pm, he will arrive at his uptown residence at 7 pm. He should leave downtown at 3 pm if he wants to avoid the rush-hour traffic.
I have no problem with that one-hour travel, though. That’s when I write this column.
