Chances Are…
by Rev. Berlie G. Yap
September 22, 2015
Hermano Monsi dela Cruz was a guest, via phone-patch, yesterday of the Baranggay eMedia’s 8-9AM primetime program “Combersa, Quosa Ba”. He was quite candid in his answers to the questions which the program hosts—partners JV Faustino, GM Belsie Agustin and Nonie “Uncle Monis” Dondoyono, asked him, particularly on his open intention to run for congress in the upcoming national and local elections.
Accordingly, he was just anointed as an official member of the NPC. In La Bella, another personality also belongs to the NPC, the present City Councilor Jawo Jimenez. In fact, as Monsi disclosed yesterday, the two are due to officially meet today to discuss their plans, moves and strategies for the elections at hand, as party-mates.
The duo will be supporting the national candidacy of Poe-Escudero team, whereas, Monsi shall definitely run as the party’s standard bearer for congress in the First District. Now, here’s the probability, because Lobregat may run for City Mayor against Climaco and may support the Poe-Escudero tandem, the unthinkable is that the former political arch-rival, for several times may be the actual teammates starting next month!
In such a scenario, the political norms of ironies in the country may manifest again here in this side of the Republic. Just imagine the former seeming inseparable Lobregat-Climaco team, few years ago, may be dissipated already, and a new tandem of Dela Cruz-Lobregat may also be born, unexpectedly. Whew, that blows the mind of the ordinary Zamboangueños!
Indeed, nothing is permanent in the Philippine politics—yesterday’s enemies can be today’s friends or, the other way, yesterday’s friends can be today’s enemies. Welcome to the Republic of the Philippines, this is how politics are waded and won here. Hence, stuffs will gonna be more thrilling and unpredictable in the coming days, as the official dates of the campaign period will start next month.
To make matters more colorful is the presumable inclusion of Councilor Jawo Jimenez, known as an open critic to Lobregat, and, the “prodigal brother” of Celso, Councilor Elong Natividad in the picture; well, the latter was seen around as one of the local figures who welcomed and went around the City when Senator Poe came to Zamboanga few weeks ago.
Do you see the probable picture, comes after the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy (COC)? Anyways, things ain’t yet final and official. When asked by partner JV Faustino to what are the chances, Monsi dela Cruz did just reply in a manner of a semi-joke “secret”! By the way, who is this guy many media-men, including folks from Baranggay eMedia, call as the GUARDIA CIVIL?
To the Zamboangueños, they easily welcome any unconventional changes in the local political race, so long as the candidates’ common priority is for the welfare of La Bella. In the case of Monsi, he shared yesterday about how he brought countless of progress and development to the City, in his own capacity as a private citizen and a corporate man.
He founded and established the Nuevo Zamboanga College, whose two campuses, in downtown and in Pasobolong, belong to the two congressional districts of the City. Besides, he also produced plenty of scholars, who most of them came from average families, but are now successful and are either working here or overseas.
Without controversies, the obvious credentials of hermano Monsi are the good works he is indelibly leaving as his undeniable legacies. Thus, he was imploring, during the program yesterday, that somehow the Zamboangueños may give him the chance, this time, to lead them into another level. He promised that if he may make it to the House of Representatives, he will give his salary for the scholarship of more deserving students from poor families of the City.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num. 23:19, KJV)
Courtesy of Baranggay eMedia
