ATTY. FRANK MALILONG:

It may be awkward to Rama at first but sooner or later, he has to live with the fact that his ‘personal sacrifice’ to ‘slide down’ to vice mayor entails even more sacrifices

31, Duterte ordered Trillanes, a former Navy officer who was among the leaders of the Oakwood Mutiny in 2003, be arrested and charged criminally and administratively. IBP stressed that amnesty is an exercise of sovereign power that automatically confers upon the grantee the vested right of the obliteration of his or her “offense.” The lawyers’ group said it is “deeply concerned” on the executive branch’s stand that it can overturn final dismissals of criminal charges by the courts. “Arresting and incarcerating Trillanes for offenses dismissed by amnesty runs roughshod over the constitutional guarantee against double jeopardy that no person shall be held to answer twice for the same criminal offense,” they said. They called on the public for “sobriety in this time of political confusion.” The IBP also urged the court to “resist collateral attacks against its judgments and creeping incursions on its independence,” saying that they are the “most powerful bastion” that protects one’s constitutional rights. / Two rallies were held simultaneously in Cebu City last Sunday. What was remarkable about the two events was that Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella carefully avoided injecting politics into their speeches. Was it an indication that the political campaign in the city in May next year, when the two battle for the mayorship, will be tamer and less toxic than in the past two elections?

Two rallies were held simultaneously in Cebu City last Sunday. The organizers of both events, however, consciously avoided calling their respective gathering a rally. Mayor Tomas Osmeña described his as a thanksgiving; Vice Mayor Edgar Labella said the one they had at Plaza Independencia was a concert dedicated to President Duterte and the police.

What was remarkable about the two events was that Osmeña and Labella carefully avoided injecting politics into their speeches. Considering the history of bitter rivalry between Osmeña’s BOPK and Labella’s Barug, the restraint was unexpected. Was it an indication that the political campaign in the city in May next year, when the two battle for the mayorship, will be tamer and less toxic than in the past two elections?

Osmeña is not known to spare anyone who has displeased him his caustic tongue. He has thrown a few barbs in Labella’s direction but none as sharp and poison-laced as the one he throws at former mayor Michael Rama on a regular basis.

Labella, on the other hand, has been careful in his actions and choice of words towards Osmeña. When he was asked to comment on the scolding that Osmeña got from President Duterte a few weeks ago, he begged off, saying that there was nothing more that he could add to what the president said. I asked him why, when we met a few days later, and he said he was not the kind who gloats over another person’s unfortunate situation.

The two, however, still scored political points even if they did not campaign last week. The sight of a subdued Osmeña must have melted the hearts of his followers and encouraged those who like his governance style but are turned off by his arrogant behavior.

Labella’s speech was a hit with his audience. He hit the right chord when he demanded that the policemen who have betrayed their badge be punished and made to bear the full force of the law but at the same time denounced any attempt to demonize the police because it would be “disrespectful of the memory of the many who fought and died for the cause of peace and order and because it can demoralize our men in uniform.”

And not a few of the estimated one thousand policemen in attendance (the rally was for them, remember?) may have turned misty-eyed when he reminded everyone that the policeman is a human being who has a family, too, who deserves but has not gotten quality time with him because of his work. The appeal to the heart resonates most of the time.

Incidentally, last Sunday’s rally was perhaps the first in which only he spoke from his team. I understand that former mayor Michael Rama was there, too, but he graciously endorsed the organizers’ plan to focus the limelight on Labella. If it was a coming-out party for him, then Labella did very well.

It may be awkward to Rama at first but sooner or later, he has to live with the fact that his “personal sacrifice” to “slide down” to vice mayor entails even more sacrifices. He still has a significant role to play in the campaign but he is not its star anymore. Labella will be calling the shots on matters like strategy and campaign funding, among others. I’m sure Rama has the humility to accept playing second fiddle to his former vice mayor. Besides, Labella is a consensus builder and will most of the time seek the wisdom of the crowd, including and most especially Rama.

As for the reported discomfiture of some Barug-PDP Laban stalwarts with Rama’s candidacy as vice mayor, they should decide whether they’re in the election to win or to merely drive home a point. Whether they like it or not, Rama has thousands of loyal followers who will take their cue only from him and who can prove to be the swing vote in a close mayoral contest.

Convincing Duterte to endorse a tandem that includes someone whom he has accused of being a drug protector can indeed be problematic but they should endeavor to seek a suitable arrangement other than banishing Rama from the city-wide campaign and forcing him to run for congressman in the city’s south district instead. The moment Rama feels betrayed by or alienated from his old team, there is going to be trouble, spelled in capital letters.

Now, we can buckle down to work and focus on deliberating the priority legislative measures of the president without the distractions of electoral campaign. HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER ROLANDO ANDAYA JR., ON THE RESCHEDULING OF THE FILING OF THE CERTIFICATES OF CANDIDACY FOR THE MAY 2019 ELECTIONS