Making noise

Netnet Camomot .

IT’S now time to make sipsip with Cagayan de Oro’s winners as the city’s political landscape begins to change a teeny weeny bit with the victory of Girlie Balaba as No. 1 councilor, and the death of former Mayor Dongkoy Emano. These are opposite events—one is happy, the other sad—but both are creating ripples on CDO’s politics. Balaba could become a major player in the city’s political scene and woe to those who doubted her credentials.

To the candidate who was confident of winning this year, well, better luck next time. Despite the confidence, he should have campaigned pa more, shook hands pa more, and knocked on doors pa more. The key to constant victory is to make noise despite one’s temporary hibernation from politics.

The Senate building might have Lito Lapid again in its august halls, with much thanks to “Ang Probinsyano,” and his possible victory, along with that of “senatoriables” Bong Revilla and Imee Marcos, is making the cynical and skeptical Pinoy so aghast—que horror!

The Marcos years and Revilla’s detention for his pork-barrel-scam connection seem to have been forgotten by the amnesiac Pinoy whose reliance on name recall is equivalent to his fondness for fake news and fake versions of luxury bags. If ever he ends up with fake friends, hmmm, what’s new?

Fake campaign ads almost became the norm for desperate candidates whose main strategy was to make their opponent look bad in order to make themselves look good. At least one of these desperados didn’t win. Merisi. Focusing on their own strengths would have worked better for their campaign, but perhaps they had no strengths in the first place, thus, the focus on their opponents’ weaknesses.

A Duterte—President Rody or Mayor Sara—endorsement didn’t always mean victory especially when the president began endorsing both opposing candidates until it became a contest on where and how the endorsement was made, or whose arm was raised higher to the heavens. Still, for now, the six degrees of separation with the Dutertes has worked for some candidates, but in 2022, when the father is expected to retire, and the daughter is expected to take his place, will their endorsement remain sugar and spice and everything nice?

Might as well seek Coco Martin’s help, join “Ang Probinsyano,” and pray it will be able to extend its shelf life to 2022, if there’s another Lito Lapid wishing for a political comeback by then.

For the election to be held during the merriest month of May and its fiestas could be a mere coincidence for the Pinoy who now has the resources to celebrate, thanks to the moolah that candidates generously dropped on his hands to boost their name recall.

How much was the moolah this time? P500, P1,500, P3,000? The law on supply and demand doesn’t even work on this one once the candidate and his minions begin to distribute such gifts. And then, there’s the minion who opted to keep the gifts for himself.

There’s no sure formula for political victory in Pinas as the losing candidate now looks back and wonders what he did wrong. He needs more strengths? His opponent needs more weaknesses? More moolah for him, less moolah for his opponent? His public image was too far from his real self?

The candidate who copied President Rody Duterte’s character including his habit of blurting out p***ng in* didn’t win because only the president can be as brutally frank as he has always been. The rest of the madlang pehpohl have to dot their i’s and cross their t’s and behave like Maria Clara, for it’s not their nature to be harsh. Forcing themselves to morph into a character they think they could “carry” only confused the voter who chose to vote for their rival instead since at least the latter was partially attached to his true self.

The losing candidate who plans to run again in 2022 has to start making noise now but it should be the noise that’s pleasing to the ears and not merely for the sake of making noise.

As for CDO, well, 2022 may have three political dynasties vying for the city’s top positions. Let’s see whose surname will resonate the loudest by then.