Will lightning strike twice in city hall?

“If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.”

--Thomas J. Watson

By Alex P. Vidal

NEWARK, New Jersey -- An illiterate but patriotic public servant is as dangerous as the corrupt public servant.

The only difference is, corrupt public servants are really the real menace to society.

The illiterate will mismanage the government. The corrupt, on the other hand, will impoverish the nation.

The country can easily rebound from the doldrums of mismanagement.

If public coffers have been emptied by corrupt public servants, every citizen or member of the family will suffer from a hodgepodge of government neglect and dispossession.
Former Supreme Court Chief Justice and Senate President Hilario Davide prefers the illiterate over the corrupt.
I reject both.

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THE presence of Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in the 50^th Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City in the Philippines on January 28, 2018 didn’t sit well with those wishing to oust Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III before the May 2019 elections.

Roque, President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s representative during the festival’s final day, reportedly conveyed the President’s message of support for the festival’s golden edition.

Roque’s gesture could be interpreted that everything is well between Malacanang and Iloilo City Hall in as far as political relationship is concerned.

Those who believed that “stubborn” Mayor Joe III may have committed a serious gaffe by his refusal to recall the much-criticized executive order that closed a portion of Rizal Street in Plaza Jaro in connection with the Feast of Our Lady of the Candles Nuestra Señora de la Purificacion y Candelaria on February 2, however, think the city mayor is ripe for a kill.

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CRITICS surmise the city mayor can be eliminated through a case for “violation” of anti-graft practices act before the Office of the Ombudsman and, thus, suffer the fate of his predecessor, Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.

They suspect his much-ballyhooed “cordial” relationship with the hard-hitting President from Davao City is a myth or like a bubble that can explode anytime.

They viewed President Duterte’s non-appearance in the Dinagyang Festival as a tell-tale sign that the President’s relationship with the City Hall has remained frosty even after Mabilog’s overthrow.

They are apparently cynical on a scenario of President Duterte coming to Mayor Joe III’s rescue in the event the city mayor will end up facing the slammer.

And if ever a case of that nature be marshaled against Mayor Joe III, it would most likely come from former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada, author of the Ombudsman case that toppled Mabilog last year.

If Mejorada is convinced that Mayor Joe III really violated the law when he defended and sustained his controversial Jaro Plaza road edict, the former capitol bigwig probably must be hoping that lightning will strike anew in the Iloilo City Hall.    

Incidentally, Roque is Mejorada’s former legal counsel in the latter’s libel cases filed by Senator Franklin Drilon.

His other legal counsel is Atty. Eduardo Jalbuna, former president of the Iloilo Press Club (IPC).

The man Mayor Joe III respects most

“This is the person you think is your antagonist, who ends up being your greatest ally: the person who pushes, criticizes, and challenges you to meet a standard of excellence you might not otherwise achieve.”

-- Bonnie Hammer

By Alex P. Vidal

NEWARK, New Jersey -- If some allies and confidants of Iloilo City Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III in the Philippines find it hard to make him agree on certain matters that are clearly correct and lawful, they shouldn’t feel bad about it.

They shouldn’t be quick to pillory him; refrain from antagonizing him and get their fingers off the trigger.

Mayor Joe III is now his own man; no one can compel him to follow suggestions and pieces of unsolicited advice even from his contemporaries and advisers.

If he will adopt some of their sensible suggestions, it’s a bonus. If he doesn’t, no hard feelings.

The city mayor is the master of all ceremonies; he has the final say on every crucial matter that requires a critical judgment of the city hall chief executive.  

Whether he fails or succeeds, the buck stops on his table.

For sure, there were those who did attempt to tell him to go slow on the issue against the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD).

But he didn’t.

Public opinion showed the odds were stacked against him. Some were saying it backfired.

Mayor Joe III’s unfortunate bicker with the water utility’s board of directors, his baptism of fire after clinching the mayoral post on October 30, 2017, has remained unresolved before 2018 came.

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Recently, for sure, there were those within his coterie of consultants who tried but failed to dissuade him from closing the Plaza Rizal Street in Jaro district for vendors on January 8, 2018 through an executive order.

Not all his recent decisions were popular, in the same manner that not all the suggestions or opposition from his acolytes were reasonable and acceptable.

Because of the city mayor’s executive order, vendors have erected kiosks on two lanes of the four-lane road as part of the 2018 Jaro Agro-Industrial and Charity Fair from Jan. 8 to Feb. 8. The fair is part of the Jaro fiesta celebration that will highlight on Feb. 2.

The closure order didn’t sit well with pedestrians and motorists caught in traffic jam as a result.

But because the city mayor has the solid backing from City Administrator Hernando Galvez and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), he won’t believe Councilor Plaridel Nava, a lawyer like him, who considered the executive order as legally infirm.

-o0o-

Ilonggos will have to brace for more surprises on Mayor Joe III’s brand of leadership as he completes the remaining term of office of his predecessor, Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, in 2019.

Some of his detractors may be waiting for Mayor Joe III to slip in the banana peel or to commit bad and unpopular decisions while in office and kiss goodbye his chances to win the same position in May 2019.

But there are also strong chances he will finish the remaining 15 months of Mabilog’s unfinished term with flying colors.

This was made possible after he reportedly retained some of Mabilog’s best consultants, not to mention his built-in rapport with his former peers in the city council.

Among those who are reportedly helping rev up his engine in public service are former vice mayor, Dr. Guillermo dela Llana, and former city councilors, Victor Facultad and Dr. Perla Zulueta.

Dela Llana is one of the only few consultants that Mayor Joe III respects most when it comes to running a public office.

Back in 1990s when Dela Llana was vice mayor and Mayor Joe III was a senior member of the city council, they worked together like father and son. So close were Dela Llana and Mayor Joe III that they would sometimes swap some trusted staffers.

Then Councilor Joe III also “accommodated” casual workers handpicked by then Vice Mayor Dela Llana.  

When Dela Llana, Joe III, and the late former Councilor Eduardo Laczi formed a triumvirate in the city council, they became Mayor Mansueto Malabor’s “headaches.”

Facultad and Zulueta were also his most trusted and long-time allies and some of the only few remnants of their dreaded bloc in the city council that brought nightmares to the Malabor administration.

Duterte's Iloilo visit

"You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way."
--Walter Hagen

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Expect the unexpected. That's the unwritten rule in any presidential preparations.
In a presidential visit, it's better to expect more, organize and plan ahead and be spurned, than to be lax, lenient, and sloppy and regret if shortcomings and any untoward incident happen.
It is given that a presidential itinerary changes even in the eleventh hour.
A pre-announced presidential visit isn't fixed.
It can be canceled or postponed for security reasons, among other valid excuses, anytime. Ditto with the composition of presidential entourage.
Only the heads of state can change their minds and won't get a rap on the knuckles as a result.
Iloilo City Hall in the Philippines said it is "unsure" if President Rodrigo Duterte will grace the 50th Anniversary of Dinagyang Festival on January 27 and 28, 2018.

-o0o-

Mayor Jose "Joe III" Espinosa III, who reduced his expectations to 50 percent, cited the President's commitment to visit India and Israel, respectively, this month.
Before Malacanang disclosed President Duterte's trip to India and Isreal, however, no less than Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque had confirmed that the President had already accepted Espinosa's invitation during a Malacanang visit in November 2017.
Even in disclosing the "slim" possibility of President Duterte's arrival, Espinosa nevertheless has made mention of the kind of security preparations that await the presidential entourage.
He gave potential assassins the idea that there would be two sets of decoy vehicles and a total of 20 back up vehicles.
President Duterte is probably aware that it is important to visit the Ilonggos during their cultural and religious festivities to at least bridge whatever gap inflicted by his series of bombshells against the "most shabulized city" in the coutry and his false accusations against dismissed Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog who is still very much popular among the latter's constituents.

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The scheduled oath-taking of Iloilo Governor Arthur "Art" Defensor Sr. as member of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on January 18, 2018 will be one week short of President Duterte's scheduled visit.
Although House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has been scheduled to administer Defensor's oath together with his son, Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Arthur Jr., it would be more swashbuckling if the President witnessed the event.

Duterte, Joe III 'hit it off' during courtesy call

"In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way."
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had in mind the late former Iloilo second district Rep. Pascual "Pascualing" or "Pat" Espinosa when he received Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)-installed Iloilo City Mayor Jose "Joe III" Espinosa in Malacanang on November 22.
The President was reportedly curious if Joe III was related to Muelle (pronounced as Mool-ye) Loney's famous hero,  Rep. Espinosa, known in history as the "Father of the Magna Carta Law of Labor."
Duterte later learned that Mayor Joe III, a lawyer like him, was Rep. Espinosa's nephew.
The Iloilo City mayor, installed on October 30 when Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog was haphazardly ordered dismissed by the Ombudsman, is the son of Jose Jr. or "Moor," Rep. Espinosa's younger brother.
Rep. Espinosa's son is Sigma Rhoan and lawyer Pascual "Juni" Espinosa, Jr., now helping in the campaign President Duterte's federalism movement in Iloilo City.

-o0o-

Mayor Joe III has invited the President to grace the Dinagayang Festival in January 2018.
Mayor Joe III did not tell the President that many Ilonggos were hurt when he tagged Iloilo City as "the most shabulized" and falsely accused Mayor Mabilog as a "narco-politician" in his various speeches, but assured the President of the "warm" welcome and support from the Ilonggo constituents during his visit two months from now.
"They (Duterte and Joe III) seemed to have hit it off and their body language showed their feelings were mutual," reported a sports executive, who refused to be named as he was not allowed to speak on behalf of the city mayor.
The Duterte-Joe III Malacanang meeting received mixed reactions from both their political allies and enemies.
Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Trenas, who abandoned the Liberal Party (LP) and brought Mayor Joe III and several city councilors to the ruling PDP-Laban, reportedly helped arrange Mayor Joe III's Malacanang visit.

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Iloilo City politics used to be dominated by the Trenas-Mabilog-Joe III triumvirate.
Mayor Mabilog, the triumvirate's missing link, became Duterte's arch enemy, while Rep. Trenas and Mayor Joe III, et al are now "sleeping with the enemy."
Although some of those identified with the Duterte administration and former political enemies of Rep. Trenas and Mayor Joe III in Iloilo City were reportedly nervous when they learned about the Duterte-Joe III meeting, they realized that they needed to maintain an open mind and were not supposed to show signs of insecurity.
They feared that if the relationship between President Duterte and Mayor Joe III would blossom, the President might endorse Mayor Joe III when he runs for city mayor in 2019 under the principle of "equity of the incumbent."
Supporters of former Zambales Rep. Pacita Gonzalez, Iloilo City PDP Laban chair, and Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, Mr. Duterte's "point man" in Iloilo City, were still hoping, of course, that the President would narrow down his choices only between Gonzalez and Ganzon, and no one else.

My opinion is not for sale

"I love argument, I love debate. I don't expect anyone just to sit there and agree with me, that's not their job."
-- Margaret Thatcher

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- If Atty. Leopoldo "Pol" de Junco can't prove that I have been paid to defend "dismissed" Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog from false allegations that the mayor is a narco-politician, and the mayor enriched himself by stealing the taxpayers' money, he will be in trouble legally.
Not only that.
I can also challenge Atty. De Junco to a public debate at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand or in any public place of his choice on his fallacy about me as a journalist.
If he can't produce any documentary, circumstancial, or even testimonial evidence to back his fantabulous lies, that's his big problem.
As an independent journalist, my views and ideas are not for sale. My opinion is not biased. They are based on truth, justice, and strong convictions.
I am not beholden to any interest. This explains why I can criticize any public official constructively and look at them straight in the eyes.
We may also resolve during the debate that Mabilog, who was recently ousted (the decision is under appeal) by the Ombudsman, is a corrupt public official as what his detractors are trying to portray him.
Mabilog did not enrich himself by stealing the taxpayers' money. The Ombudsman's decision was based on Mabilog's Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN), not because he benefitted from ghost projects or rigged public biddings.
He and wife, Marivic, were already millionaires even before Mabilog was elected first in 2004 as city councilor. Marivic lived a simple life like an ordinary housewife thus no one would notice that she's moneyed. She never bragged about their family's wealth.
Freeman Ganzon, one of the sons of the late Sentor Rodolfo "Roding" Ganzon that I respect most, once told me that when Mabilog was planning to run for city mayor in 2010, "he had US$2 million in the war chest," whatever that means.
Nobody confirmed Mr. Ganzon's statement, but I always believed in the integrity of this man, one of the most controversial characters during the reign of Senator Ganzon as city mayor in thr early 90's.
Freeman Ganzon, a very approachable and amiable man, is the brother of Iloilo City Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon. 
Accept this challenge, Atty. Junco, and I won't call you a joker and coward; I won't call you a "shame in the law profession" (for being a liar).

-o0o-

By the time this article comes out, I may have completed my coverage of the 47th New York Marathon on November 5, 2017.
I am one of those who pledged to unite with those involved in the most prestigious and biggest 42.195-kilometer race in the universe.
The more than 50,000 runners who kicked off their 26.2-mile journey through the Big Apple's five boroughs have vowed to show a united act of defiance, strength, and unity after the recent terror attack that killed eight people in the Lower Manhattan.
The marathon was witnessed by 2.5 million spectators even as security was increased beyond the already-high levels typical for these types of mammoth events.
More sand trucks and block vehicles were added along the course.
Additional counter sniper teams, heavy weapos teams, aviation units helped scanned the rooftops, while plaincloths officers mixed in with the cheering crowd.

How I met Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog

"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves."
--Lao Tzu

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- I first met Dr. Jed Patrick Mabilog in the early part of  2003 when he was introduced to me by Councilor Armand Parcon, my kumpare and former media colleague, in the ground floor coffeeshop of Robinson's Mall in Iloilo City.
I was standing when Parcon approached me and quipped, "Pre, I would like to introduce my friend, Jed Patrick Mabilog. He is from Molo (district). He can be a good material for city councilor. Let's help him."
Behind Parcon was a neatly dressed and pompadoured man with a soft voice. "Hi, kumusta? Ako gali si Jed (Hi, how are you? My name is Jed)," he enthused. We shook hands and talked briefly.
I was then active with the World Boxing Foundation (WBF) thus I wasn't able to fulfill Councilor Parcon's request for his friend other than asking my family to vote for Mabilog for city councilor.

FOUNDATION

It became moot and academic though as Mabilog, big boss of HALIGI Foundation, ran and won for city councilor in the general elections the following year, May 10, 2004.
From 2004 until 2007 when Mabilog completed his term in the city council, we never met again.
Our second meeting was in the candidates forum sponsored by Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo during the campaign period for the May 14, 2007 general elections.
I was one of the moderators in a "live" debate between vice mayoral candidates Jed Patrick Mabilog and Winston Porras, former chief of staff of Vice Mayor Victor Facultad.
Brilliant and quick-witted, Mabilog routed Porras, who happened to be my friend way back in the 90's when Porras was legislative staff of then Councilor Victor Facultad and I was writing speeches for the late Councilor Eduardo Laczi and then Councilor Jose "Joe III" Espinosa III (now the new Iloilo City mayor).
From 2007 until 2010 when Mabilog finished his term as vice mayor, I never met him again since that "live" radio debate.
Months before the May 10, 2010 elections, Mabilog, who became my Facebook friend, asked my opinion in a private message about his plan to run for city mayor against then Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

RECEIVE

I received Mabilog's message while I was in Vancouver. I was totally unaware of what was going on in Philippine politics; I monitored only the news on the Internet.
The late Secretary Gonzalez and I never had a spat even if he sued our former colleague in Sun.Star, Nelson Robles, for "unjust vexation" over a series of blind items in 1996 when Gonzalez was congressman in the city's lone district.
I answered Mabilog in the affirmative even if I doubted his chances against Iloilo City's hitherto political Goliath, famous for tormenting his adversaries with the nerve-tingling "I will make life difficult for you" remark.
I missed the Mabilog-Gonzalez rivalry as a media practitioner; I missed the biggest election upset in the history of Iloilo City: underdog Mabilog clobbered the most powerful cabinet official of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by a big margin.
Mabilog closed the Facebook account he was using before being elected as Iloilo City mayor (he opened another FB accounts thereafter), thus I couldn't send a message to congratulate David.

YEARS

During the years that Mabilog was mayor for three consecutive terms until his "dismissal" recently, I was most of the time outside the Philippines.
I am probably the only Iloilo journalist who has never set foot in the new Iloilo City Hall until today (I was president of the Iloilo City Hall Press Corps for two terms--1998-1999 during the time of Mayor Mansueto Malabor).
I finally met Mabilog again and sat beside him in the cable TV show hosted by Vicente "Danny Baby" Foz at Buto't Balat Restaurant in Iloilo City three days before the May 13, 2013 elections when I was in the Philippines.
It was the height of Mabilog's quarrel with former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada, the man who filed the case against the city mayor in the Ombudsman that resulted in his ouster.
It was only our third physical meeting since the day Councilor Parcon introduced me to the man who would become the most abused and most harassed city mayor in the world.
I will probably meet Mabilog, an innocent man and great Ilonggo leader, again when he become congressman in 2019.

Joe III's 'benefit' from Mabilog's ouster

"Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed."
--Mao Zedong

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Political enemies of "dismissed" Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog have been warned that the latter's "early" exit from the city hall may not be favorable if they aspire to run for Mabilog's position in 2019.
If Mabilog is ousted this early, his political enemies can no longer take potshots at Mabilog's faults--real or imagined.
There will be no more "Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog" who will absorb their brickbats and admonishment.
As challengers, they need someone in power to blame for every mess in government. Someone in power must look bad so that the challengers will look good. Politics 101.
One sure way to score pogi points to the electorate.
In order to gain momentum and stay afloat in the scramble for publicity, politicians must squabble. Every animosity becomes news. Every news is publicity.
Publicity quickly helps the ascension of any aspiring politician to power.

NOISE

To stay in the possible winning column, politicians or aspiring candidates, for that matter, must make a noise--a lot of noise; in fact, if the elections are decided through name-recall like the Philippines' decrepit system.
In Mabilog's absence, they will have no choice but aim their guns at the accidental villain, acting Mayor Jose "Joe III" Espinosa III.
Challengers need to stir the hornet's nest and act like do-gooders from time to time to get public attention.
But what if Joe III will reign like Marcus Aurelius and herald Iloilo City to its own version of Pax Romana?
What if Joe III will help catapult Iloilo City in the totem pole of greatness in the remaining 19 months (granting that Mabilog can't secure a Temporary Restraining Order from the Court of Appeals against the Ombudsman's decision to dismiss him) as acting city mayor?

SIGNS

At this early, Joe III has been showing exhilarating signs of infallibility.
He now talks less and his best press releases have become his own performances and increasing public visibility.
Joe III, a shoo-in candidate in 2019, has refused to say a word about Mabilog's predicament like his chief political Maharishi, Rep. Jerry P. Trenas.
Like a stoic, Joe III is on a roll and manages the affairs of the city from the board room to the villages' inner purlieus.
If they bash fizzy Joe III merely to attract media attention, the electorate will easily get the message right: the bashers are going gung-ho at all costs to malign a performer.
Everything will boomerang.
Instead of sending a fresh face to the city mayor's office in 2019, they will have to agonize watching Joe III being given a fresh and unadulterated mandate as newly elected city mayor.

Mabilog can still win the political 'championship'

"To err is human. To blame someone else is politics."
--Hubert H. Humphrey

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- I will bet my last centavo.
Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog will wrap up the political "championship" after the smoke has been cleared.
The latest Ombudsman verdict dismissing him "for failing to explain an increase in his wealth of nearly P9 million within a year" could not be considered yet as a KO defeat.
Since it can still be appealed (and there are strong chances it will be reversed if not nipped in the bud by the higher courts), it could be treated only as a knockdown.
In boxing, Mabilog had been knocked down; but he was not knocked out!
If he can survive the mandatory eight count, blooded and bruised Mabilog can still pummel his foe like Joe Louis, who reversed the KO lost to Max Schmeling in a brutal world heavyweight championship revenge in 1938.

FORFEIT

The Russians have written off Bobby Fischer when the American genius forfeited his first two games in favor of defending world chess champion Borris Spassky in Reykjavik in 1972.
An edge of two points in a chess title clash was considered then as "quivalent to wrapping up the title."
Alas, when the smoke was cleared, Fischer toppled Spassky, 12.5-8.5, and ended the era of Russian dominance in chess.
In throwing the books on Mabilog, graft investigator Rachel Cariaga-Farila stressed, to wit: “Simply, his (Mabilog) failure to properly account or explain his sources of income establishes the presence of malicious intent to conceal the truth, causing grave prejudice to the government in the amount of P8,981,082.52,” read part of the Ombudsman decision.
“Hence, respondent is found guilty of serious dishonesty and meted the supreme penalty of dismissal from the service, pursuant to Rule 10, Section 46 (A) of the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service."
Take note that Mabilog's fault was his "failure" to account for the increase of his wealth.
It's a technical matter that should be tackled by his legal team led by spokesman, Atty. Mark Piad, during the appeal.

EVIDENCE

His "guilt" was not based on overwhelming evidence of actual "stealing" of taxpayers money like in the case of certain fraudulent government projects were taxpayers' money was deliberately stolen by corrupt public officials through rigged biddings, substandard deliveries, ghost projects, and under-the-table deals.
In other words, there's no solid proof showing that Mabilog enriched himself in office by stealing the people's money.
There's wisdom in the judicial process though, and it's too premature to write off Mabilog politically.
He could still survive this legal setback if he goes to the Court of Appeals and, if necessary, in the Supreme Court.
Mabilog can still bounce back from a series of misfortunes that recently turned his world upside down, and spring back to political life with a fire and brimstone like Achilles, who killed Trojan hero Hector outside the gates of Troy, before being shot in the heel by Paris.
Sympathetic Ilonggos who have seen him and his family agonize over trumped up charges and false allegations these past months will have the final say during election time.
Never underestimate a wounded tiger.

FAULT

We don't fault the Ombudsman. We don't fault former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada for filing the complaint against Mabilog in the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman was only doing its job. Mejorada, like any Filipino citizen, has the right to file a complaint against any public official.
Every public servant, including Mabilog, should be open to formal complaints in relation to his job as a public official; and undergo the legal process like the one undertaken by Ombudsman on Mabilog or any elected and appointed public official in the Philippines for that matter.
We have the court to decide on the matter.
This is how democracy works.

Guessing game continues for Iloilo City's 'Judas'

"A traitor is everyone who does not agree with me."
--George III of the United Kingdom

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Who is the Judas Escariot of Iloilo City in the Philippines?
This question has been buzzing ever since the erratic President Rodrigo R. Duterte placed both Iloilo City and Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog figuratively in the shooting range for being "the most shabulized city" and "narco-politician" respectively.
With no evidence to show to sustain his serious allegations, President Duterte had caused so much panic and confusion over his repeated attacks on the reticent city mayor that boggled the minds of the Ilonggos.
Ilonggos have been asking: Who has been feeding the president with wrongful information about Iloilo City and Mayor Mabilog? Who is the Judas Iscariot who sold Iloilo City and Mayor Mabilog for several pieces of silver to the angry and unpredictable President Duterte?

DISCIPLE

Judas Iscariot was one of the 12 original disciples of Jesus Christ and son of Simon Iscariot, according to the New Testament.
Judas was known for the kiss and betrayal of Jesus to the Sanhedrin for 30 silver coins.
In her recent Facebook account, Marivic Mabilog, the mayor's wife, posted an undated photo of President Duterte listening to a lady apparently talking across the table. Sitting beside the lady was Iloilo City Councilor Jeffrey Ganzon. Several others were also present.
"Guessing time. What do you think Jeffrey Ganzon is telling Digong about Digong's unfair comments and misconceptions of Iloilo City?" screamed the photo's caption on Mrs. Mabilog's Facebook account.
Ganzon was reported several months back to have been appointed by the President as his "point man" for Iloilo City.


CAPTION

Although Mrs. Mabilog did not accuse anyone of being a "Judas", the caption ostensibly was pregnant with many interpretations.
Because of bizarre events that transpired in the past few weeks that prompted Mabilog to take a leave, we can't blame the Doubting Thomases and political pessimists to make their own independent conclusions.
Based on that photo alone, however, it's premature to conclude that Ganzon is the Real McCoy in the game of political intrigues.
Even before Ganzon was given the "point man" portfolio, Duterte was already hot after Mabilog's heels after the President had falsely accused the city mayor of being the "cousin of (slain drug lord) Melvin Odicta."
Mabilog is the second cousin of opposition senator, Franklin Drilon, not Odicta.


PRIVILEGED

Being one of those privileged individuals who can break bread and engage the President in a tete-a-tete on political issues and otherwise, Ganzon must have told the President about how great Iloilo City is and how efficient and competent are its elected officials.
Ganzon and President Duterte must have talked more about "other matters" and not just purely politics. That "other matters" must be something else and not about accusing someone of being engaged in protection racket and enriching himself while in political power.
As an Ilonggo elected official and son of the late illustrious former senator and three-time city mayor Rodolfo "Roding" Ganzon, Councilor Ganzon certainly can't afford to betray the city that made him and his family famous.
We're giving Councilor Ganzon the benefit of the doubt.

Trust Joe III

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did."
-- Newt Gingrich

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Those who are planning to run for Iloilo City mayor in the Philippines in 2019 can always say that Vice Mayor Jose "Joe III" Espinosa III isn't fit to become city mayor.
His being a "shy-typed" and "aloof" have become the butts of scorn and derision among keen political observers in coffee and barber shops.
Even the way Joe III shakes the hands of well-wishers he meets in the sidewalks and barangays did not escape their strict scrutiny.
But now that Joe III is the acting city mayor, the soothsayers fear that Joe III might prove them wrong.
The sudden move of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog to take a leave and entrust the reigns of the city government to the vice mayor less than 20 months before the 2019 elections, probaby has sent shivers down the spine of Joe III's critics.
It's like allowing Joe III to have a "familiarity tour" on his next office, or giving him a chance to start building a bandwagon inside the fortress.

LONGER

The longer on-leave Mabilog stays out of the city hall and the longer Joe III sits as acting capacity, the more these soothsayers will become uncomfortable.
What if lady luck would intervene and Iloilo City  experienced a shock renaissance during Joe III's reign?  
As acting city mayor, Joe III, like Romulus, the twin of Remus, can conveniently use the opportunity to prove his critics that he is not what they think.
In terms of experience, Joe III has nothing to be ashamed of. In terms of competence, he is also notches higher being a lawyer and a long-time member of the city council before being elected as vice mayor.
The truth is nobody can claim exclusive right to govern Iloilo City as mayor. Nobody can claim that he or she is better than the other aspirants or wanna-bes.
The constitution does not state that one must at least be an orator, a philosopher, or a poet in order to become an elected public servant.
Even the much-ridiculed Mel Carreon can sit as city mayor if that's what the Ilonggos want. Elected officials, after all, are chosen by the people, not by psychiatrists or political science professors.

 -o0o-

It's not a case of "too early for politics" if one political group will claim that it has the "majority of support from the mayors" in certain districts.
In politics, there is no "too early" and "too soon". But there is such animal as "too late."
In political combat, building of forces must start earlier--or, at least, immediately after the last elections.
That means losers in the recent elections aren't supposed to be complacent and relax if they are still salivating for a rematch with their conquerors.
An early bird catches the worm, as the saying goes. There are political worms though that worm their way to another group in the eleventh hour when the going gets tough and when wads of bills start to buy off loyalties and commitments.
That's the nature of politics in the Philippine. Money always talks from start to end.
But there is no substitute if one starts to build up and get the commitments of those who can produce the votes today even if the next elections are miles away.

Mabilog quo vadis?

Persecution is the first law of society because it is always easier to suppress criticism than to meet it."

--Howard Mumford Jones

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- What I can see in the next chapter of the "most shabulized city" saga is embattled Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog walking ten feet tall and vindicated.
The events that will unfold--or has already unfolded--in the next days and weeks will prove that God is not sleeping and will never abandon the Ilonggos who have been equally tormented by the unfair and unworthy tag on their city.
The most persecuted local chief executive in the world will himself see the light at the end of the dark tunnel unmolested.
Except for cussing and denunciation from his accusers led by President Duterte, no charges have been filed against him; no concrete evidence has been put forward to back their allegations of "narco-politics."
Once Mabilog hurdles this acid test in his personal and political life, he will be a stronger person. The persecution must have been designed by the Divine Providence in order to prepare him for a bigger role and battle in society.
With the all-out support of the Ilonggos and his family, Mabilog will finally overcome all the obstacles and weather the storm.

DECISION

The decision of wife Marivic and their children to stay away and avoid the heat was a wise move. Even their critics will agree that they needed to secure themselves first as they're up against a formidable opponent who can make life difficult for them.
So let us not begrudge Mabilog's Ilonggo critics who air their sentiments and support President Duterte's drive to weed out illegal drugs in the metropolis and those responsible for their proliferation.
I may not agree with some of their sardonic comments, especially in the social media, but I will defend to death their rights to express them.
Some of Mabilog's Ilonggo bashers were actually his former allies and friends in the social and political circles. Although passions may have strained when Mabilog's power and authority accelerated, at the end of the day, they may still have the best intentions for Mabilog and the splendid City of Love despite their belligerence.
Mabilog has proven to all and sundry that he isn't vindictive. He can just shrug off the nightmare he has experienced from the Duterte administration.
It's normal to get hurt when the cannonball is aimed at our direction, but in a free society we need opposition; we need critics.

SWAT

There must be some paladins willing to swat the mosquitos. The bedrock of democracy lies in the freedom of speech and expression.
We should worry more on the President's rigmarole and aggressive fusillades against the hapless Mabilog.
He may not be a holy man, but the flaks Mabilog has been absorbing all these past months were full of loopholes and inaccuracy.
If they were not half truths, they were downright hogwash pelted with hateful utterances.
Despite Mabilog's docility, Presidente Duterte remained stern, unyielding, and unmoved by prayers and sacrifices.
You can't fight city hall, but when the President groans, even the spirits in the River Styx capitulate.
Like Hades, who allowed Sisyphus to return to earth long enough to arrange his own funeral, Duterte wanted to condemn Mabilog to the underworld to forever roll a boulder uphill.
One morning when Mabilog wakes up, it's back to normal. Life must go on with or without politics.

Could Ynion have stood to defend Mayor Mabilog?

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."
 --Plato

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- We are now tempted to think that one of the biggest mistakes committed by the Ilonggos was they did not elect businessman and journalist Rommel Ynion when he wanted to serve as city councilor in 2016.
If Ynion, a vocal and frank person, were member of the city council when "the most shabulized city" furor erupted, would he just collect his salary and fart in silence while attending the regular sessions?
By being part of the city government, Ynion would be duty-bound to speak out his mind and contribute in the debates that involved the Ilonggo heritage, values, religion, education, and morality.
Could he have stood to defend erstwhile foe Mabilog when the latter was tagged as coddler of narcotics? No one can tell.
But definitely, he isn't the type who will kick someone already crawling on all four, bloodied and bruised.

ARROW

Ynion would have aimed his arrow at Mabilog over local issues, or on matters that affected governance and services to the hoi polloi; or, he could take potshots at some of Mabilog's deals and projects in the level of check and balance as an opposition. At least that's his campaign promise.
Assuming he was now a city councilor and a PDP-Laban stalwart to boot, but did not believe the President's tag on Mabilog as coddler of drug traffickers lock, stock, and barrel, Ynion could distance himself from the issue for the sake of delicadeza, or eschewed Mabilog (but not endeavor to help put his life at risk) so as not to displease the most powerful man in Malacanang. 
Although Ynion lost to Mabilog in the 2013. mayoral contest, he gamely swallowed his pride to gun for a seat in the local legislative body instead of fortifying his forces for a rematch with reelectionist Mabilog.
After the 2013 debacle, Ynion probably became a pragmatist and did not want to commit the blunder made by other aspirants for city mayor who suffered two consecutive setbacks in two consecutive elections to the incumbent.

SLATE

Even if Ynion is in the other side of the political fence, he and Mabilog have their own 38th Parallel, a focal point they maintained mutually but unofficially after the fierce 2013 rivalry.
Mabilog's Liberal Party (LP) slate in Iloilo City didn't sweep the race in the city council in 2016 after opposition reelectionists Joshua Alim and Plaridel Nava secured the two slots.
But, que horror, where was Ynion? Having been a prominent participant in the previous elections' major league, he was supposed to smoothly walk away with a spot in the top five. That's logical and palatable.
But local politics has always been cruel and truculent.
Either Ynion elected not to campaign ferociously, or the Ilonggos were only amnesiac that they couldn't appreciate a nibble of the man's economic, social, and political platforms when he was aspiring for city mayor three years earlier.
It's water under the bridge at any rate.

Warning to Jovie: Don't outshine the master

"I'm the man in the box. Buried in my shit. Won't you come and save me, save me?"
--Alice In Chains

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Celebrity cop Jovie "The Excited" Espenido, after all, won't be a permanent chief of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).
Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa has confirmed he designated the controversial police chief inspector only as officer-in-charge because he is two ranks lower than what is required by law for a highly urbanized metropolis like Iloilo City.
Even before Espenido has occupied the post, there are tell tale signs that Dela Rosa appears to be "unhappy" with his underling's sudden popularity and hubris.
If not for President Duterte's request, Gen. Bato would prefer The Excited to stay in Ozamis City where he ostensibly hasn't yet pulled the rug from under all the drug traffickers there despite the recent massacre in the Parojinog residence.
We understand Gen. Bato's vacillation.

EXTOL

Ever since President Duterte extolled The Excited for his murderous rampages in Albuera, Leyte and Ozamis City and offered him the Iloilo City assignment during the National Heroes' Day celebration in Taguig City, The Excited has hogged headlines and upstaged Gen. Bato.
All of a sudden, The Excited has turned into a rock star sensation courtesy of the President's baby-sitting treatment.
Before The Excited's fame, Gen. Bato was the master of all shows, grabbing headlines left and right and competed even with President Duterte in media attention with his swashbuckling anti-illegal drugs conquests.
Being a celebrity should be Gen. Bato's franchise in as far as the PNP is concerned. With The Excitement entering the picture, now no more.
Winnie the Pooh once quipped, ”Just because an animal is large, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want kindness; however big Tigger seems to be, remember that he wants as much kindness as Roo.”

WARN

Robert Greene had warned the likes of The Excited in Law No. 1 of the 48 Laws of Power to "Never Outshine the Master."
"Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite inspire fear and insecurity," the Law suggested.
"Everyone has insecurities. When you show yourself in the world and display your talents, you naturally stir up all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity. This is to be expected. You cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others. With those above you, however, you must take a different approach: when it comes to power, outshining the master is perhaps the worst mistake of all."
The Excited also has the tendency to be overbearing.
Instead of dismissing the fears of the Ilonggos and convinvcing them that the PNP is a professional organization committed to uphold the supremacy of the law, protect the civilians, and doesn't tolerate unlawful extermination of suspected criminals, he issued stern warnings to Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog as if he was assigned in Iloilo City solely to terrorize the mayor who had been falsely accused as a narco-politician.

Marivic Mabilog's pain

"Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone."
-- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Josephine Bracken to Dr. Jose Rizal: "Love, I will love you ever; love, I will leave thee never; ever to me precious to thee; never to part, heart bound to heart, or ever to say goodbye.
So, my darling, receive many warm Affection and love from your ever faithfull and true till death."
No one knows how many cups of tears has Marivic Mabilog shed secretly, so far; how many sleepless nights she has logged; and how tight were the embraces she gave her husband, embattled Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.
No one can approximate her heartaches and tribulations, but any wife and mother will feel the pain inside Marivic's heart.
The torrents of recent events that pilloried her husband and placed his life in jeopardy, must have taken their toll on Marivic as a wife.
No first lady of a city chief executive must've suffered the level of distress, sadness and anxiety Marivic has been going through nowadays like Xanthippe, wife of Socrates, condemned and forced to drink the hemlock for the sins he did not commit.
Especially that Marivic knows her husband is innocent like Sir Galahad, but is being fiercely loathed by the President, treated shabbily by a police underling through their irresponsible and uncalled for public admonishments, and abandoned by hitherto political allies through their defeaning and incredible silence.
Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you where they are now--and why they refuse to make a stand.
Beneath the veneer of Marivic's brave and unruffled front must be a dreary wife that resembles Achlys: weeping, emaciated, and pale, with chattering teeth, swollen knees, long nails on her fingers, bloody cheeks, and her shoulders thickly covered with dust.

PUSHED

Marivic has become a woman pushed against the wall, Iloilo's modern symbol of martyrdom, Agathonice.
A wounded tigress can be vain and histrionic, but once we reach the level of hypothermia, human beings tend to become stiff from fear and intimidation.
Like Hua Mulan (The Ballad of Mulan, 6th Century Chinese poem), Marivic can turn into a warrior when push comes to shove, her bravery may not revolve around avoiding marriage or seeking passion, but will be one centered on familial love and honor.
Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "What cannot kill you will make you strong."
When it comes to pushing beyond our comfort zone. fear can sometimes be transformed into energy and endurance.
We can then sit with fear and acknowledge it, humble ourselves before fear, and accept fear's challenge to be brave as it comes in each moment.
Let me share this letter from Unveiled Wife entitled, "Letter To My Husband: I love You" :
Dear Husband,
Our world is not perfect, I know, but it’s perfect to me. Just being able to wake up next to you gives me so much peace joy and hope. Though this road is rocky and it seems to get worse at times, just know that I love you and always will. We can make it and we will. Let’s just keep putting God first and having our nightly bible studies till we get it right so we can become someone else’s or even another couples beacon of light!
Love Your Wife