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NAGA
CITY—Is this a case of former senator Francisco Tatad
seeing the mote in the eye of the Senate but not the
timber in his own backyard—in Bicol, where the electoral
contest has been practically reduced to a political
musical chair competition with family members changing
seats or running against each other.
Either way, following family culture, both sides win and
there is always the next election. The electorate and
other aspiring candidates be damned.
In a
town in Camarines Sur, a husband and wife team are
running for mayor and vice mayor while in another town,
a father and son tandem are also running for mayor and
vice mayor.
Earlier, Tatad lamented that dynasties are proliferating
in the Senate, citing the son and father team-up of the
Pimentels, the brother and sister duo of the Cayetanos,
and the brother and brother or mother and son possible
tandems of the Estradas.
But
unknown to Tatad, Magarao town Mayor Lourdes Senar is
seeking a third term with her husband, Salvador, as her
running mate for vice mayor. Salvador was already a
three-term mayor of the town and a first cousin of
Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr.
At
nearby Gainza town, Mayor Romeo Guntang, also on his
third and final term as mayor, declared his candidacy as
vice mayor with his son, Glenn, as his mayoral running
mate. Glenn Guntang is the president of the Association
of Barangay Councils of the town.
And
in adjacent Ragay town, hometown of the budget
secretary, Mayor Rene “Tata” Aquino is also on his last
term as mayor but he has fielded his son Ricky as his
bet to replace him placing Ricky in a head-on collision
with his brother-in-law, Waren Senar, who is also
running for mayor.
Waren
Senar, a provincial board member, is the brother of
Salvador Senar, the husband of the Magarao mayor. Their
mother, the former Ragay town mayor Maruja Andaya Senar
was defeated by the incumbent mayor Rene “Tata” Aquino,
father-in-law of Maruja’s son, Warren.
And
so the dance of the dynasties continues in the province,
where Kabalikat ng malayang Pilipino Reo. Luis
Villafuerte of Camarines Sur will seek reelection at the
same time with his son, Gov. L-ray Villafuerte.
The
father Nationalist People’s Coalition Rep. Francis
Escudero of Sorsogon, Salvador III, will run for his
son’s seat in the House. The younger Escurdero is
running for senator under the opposition banner.
Liberal Party Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay will field her
daughter, Krisel Lagman-Luistro, as candidate for mayor
of Tabaco City to replace his third termer
brother-in-law, Mayor Alex Burce.
Gov.
Fernando Gonzales has declared he will run for governor
for his second term with his wife, Linda seeking
reelection as Mayor of Ligao City. |
