Bencyrus Ellorin NOT the controversial, fighter-type, Mayor Oscar Moreno may not be your natural news fodder, built in the mould of a corporate executive driven by targets after target, his accomplishments are hard not to notice. Not that he is unfazed by the challenges of second district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and the 74-year-old Dongkoy Emano, Moreno, with his almost monotonic voice remains focused on his work at the City Hall––business as usual. One has to understand his political narrative to get an assurance he is not ignoring signs on the wall. He described the recent episode of his political career as “shocking, sad and worrisome.” He however said it is far from a “crises situation” and as things turned out, it is a blessing as “it cleanses his political slate––gaan dad-on.” The so-called political exodus of his allies and the challenge to his seat by someone who had called him the best mayor the city ever had, is not new to Moreno’s political career. In 2007, his first reelection bid as governor of Misamis Oriental, he lost the support of 18 of the 25 mayors of the province. The reason, he recalled, was he stopped giving seven-digit cash doleouts to town mayors, and instead offered them projects where they can collaborate – he called it kurambos. Without the support of the mayors, he talked directly to the public – the voters who became beneficiaries of his health, education, infrastructure projects and what have they. He won and completed a nine-year term at the Capitol. It is an open secret, his predecessor at City Hall allegedly gave seven-digit doleouts to his allies in the City Council. This allegedly comes from City Hall’s intelligence fund. The second district congressman, on the other hand, is a public relations savvy. He is hands-on. He presses hands, calls people by their names, and has a deep pocket, one former campaign volunteer said. But other than that, aside from huge tarpaulin posters advertising his infrastructure projects, that is what you can get from the congressman, the former campaign volunteer said. The rest of his powers that comes with his position is enjoyed by his family. Not content with the second district congressional post, he organized a “family-oriented” party-list, the Abante Mindanao (Abamin), and had his brother Maxie as its first nominee. One of his sisters is the barangay chairperson of Nazareth. Unknown to many, a number of members of Rodriguez’s Centrist Democratic Party (CDP) and Abamin party-list have jumped over to the Moreno camp. Their primary reason, they cannot anymore stomach the nepotism in the Rodriguez camp, among them Mambuaya barangay chairman Fernando Daug and businessman Nixon Baban. They said the so-called party processes are sidelined to family interests when political decisions are made. This is not new. In 2010, questions were raised on the choices of nominees of the Abamin party-list. A Butuan-based businessman, Engr. Sergio Pascual,  questioned his relegation to Nominee no. 3, allegedly in favor of a cousin of the congressman’s wife, Virginia Sering. Of course, the No. 1 nominee went to the congressman’s brother Maxie. With Maxie gaining a seat in Congress in 2010 to the present, they became a one-two punch in Congress. This means that whatever legislative measure the elder brother files, expect the younger brother to do the same. Even their press releases bore the names of brothers Rodriguez. Now, with him running for mayor, Rufus is fielding Maxie to run for his congressional post in the second district and his younger sister Jocelyn, the chairperson of barangay Nazareth as the “family-oriented” party-list’s top nominee. Interestingly, the articulate congressman, a former law school dean does not consider this as building a political dynasty. In the early part of his declaration to run for mayor, the second district congressman was quoted as answering a question: Why would you run for mayor? With “para atong buhaton sa distrito uno ang atong nabuhat sa distrito dos.” (So we can do what we are doing in district 2 to district 1.) With that, it would not be a surprise for the timid district 1 congressman, Klarex Uy, to feel slighted. But then, isn’t it strange that up to now, the outspoken congressman from Nazareth is still keen on getting Congressman Uy’s support? Seen by many as underdog now, Mayor Moreno’s reelection rests fully on his merits. And with all his accomplishments, the mayor has a happy problem.