THIS early, the Cagayanon already knows whom he will vote or not vote for in Election 2025, based on his no-water dilemma.
The incumbent mayor? Nope. The Cagayanon believes the mayor has the power to make that water available forevermore. Once it stops flowing, the Cagayanon’s respect for the mayor stops flowing, too. Better no electricity than no water. And that kind of thinking is worldwide except for the New Yorker who lives in New York, New York.
Why the need to specify that he lives in New York, New York? Because there’s the hilaw nga New Yorker—uh, me?— who lives in Cagayan de Oro. Haha.
Anyway, let’s continue with the guessing game on whom the Cagayanon will vote for. The past mayor who was supposedly involved in the COWD-COBI contract? Nope. Which means the smear campaign against him is working.
But the incumbent mayor doesn’t have to worry if his new-found political BFF, the District 2 congressman, will run for CDO’s highest political throne. I gotta feeling the latter’s victory is sure na this time. That is, if his PR team knows what to focus on: their candidate is a Cagayanon and has never hopped from the city to the province and vice versa just to win. He has stayed loyal to CDO. And to his district. No hopping from District 2 to District 1 and vice versa. Loyalty is one of his best assets.
And why should there be a clamor for the mayoral throne? Because congressmen are seldom remembered. That’s why there’s a need to put their portraits on tarpaulins for government projects. Oops! Their popularity is almost on a par with that of vice mayors and city councilors. Oops!
Name recall of former mayors is already a challenge, how much more for those who are not? So, better run for mayor. Now na. And make sure you win.
Because age does matter in politics. There will come a time when a political campaign will already be too boring for you after many decades as a non-mayor politician. And finally, you’ve decided to be the mayor. It’s about time. But you’ve been there, done that with kissing a**es, er, babies, grandmothers, the ladies who lunch. And your biggest challenge now is how to occupy the mayoral throne without kissing those a**es, er, you know what I mean. Wink wink.
There are former politicians who don’t even want to run for city council anymore because of their age, afraid to become the oldest city councilor. Perhaps they haven’t heard that 70 is the new 50. And if they switch to the carnivore diet, their body age can even be lower.
For example, my made-in-China smart scale says that my body age today is 39. Believe it or not.
As for deciding on whom to vote for this early, oh, it’s not exactly early. It’s already late. The 2025 political candidate who wants to transition from the barangay to the city level should have started to make his name known five years ago. And should now ponder on the smear campaign that can be thrown at him so he can memorize his politically correct replies. Saying “no comment” is fine for showbiz celebrities. But for a political candidate whose campaign photos don’t give justice to his real face and vice versa, political correctness is the key to his poll victory.
