Four-cornered fight?

There is something mystical in number 4. To the naturalists, the number four represents air, fire, water, and earth, the building blocks of our physical world. The astrologists associate number 4 with planet Rahu which the internet records as indicative of energetic, knowledgeable, clever, and confident individuals with sharp memory and leadership skills who are good at keeping secrets and love creativity although sometimes rebellious and overconfident, leading to negative traits. And in the book of Revelations, there are the biblical figures known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Some commentaries claim each horsemen to be personifications of Death (Thanatos), Famine (Limos), War (Ares), and Conquest or Glory (Zelus).

In the world of music, there were: first, The Four Aces, an American male traditional pop quartet most popular with their rendition of “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” in the 1950s; second the Four Lovers, a band formed when vocalist Frankie Valli joined The Variatones; third the Four Seasons, another American rock-and-roll band; fourth, the Four Tops a vocal quartet from Detroit, Michigan, believed to be one of the most commercially successful American pop music groups of the 1960s and fifth, the Brothers Four composed of members of a fraternity in the University of Washington and best known for their 1960 hit song “Greenfields” my late father’s favorite. There may be other bands sporting number 4 in their names but these are the singers with long playing albums in my small collection. My apologies to those I missed.

Here in Cebu City, this early, there are four personalities who announced that they are running for mayor in the 2025 elections. It’s rather early but these gentlemen believe in the saying that early birds catch early worms and they are the birds not the worms. They are the incumbent Mayor Michael Rama, who will tandem again with Vice Mayor Raymond Garcia, incumbent Councilor Nestor Archival with former mayor Tomas Osmeña as his vice mayoral candidate, the present MCWD Chairman Joey Daluz whose running mate is probably Dave Tumulak, and Yogi Ruiz, a former Bureau of Customs commissioner, and who is still in search of a running mate.

The team to beat is still the Rama-Garcia tandem. They have proven their political weight in the 2022 elections. Rama soundly beat the touted Osmeña family name in lady Margot, and Garcia overwhelmed all rivals to register the biggest margin in any vice mayoralty race in all Cebu City history. These lawyers are not just scions of political families but more importantly they are a combination of experience and youth.

I imagine that the Archival-Osmeña team will likely put up a fight against the Rama-Garcia pair. Engr. Nestor Archival is not just an ordinary politician. That he stuck with the Bando OsmeñaPundok Kauswagan in many an electoral contest can be taken to mean that he is unlike most politicians who switch political colors at the drop of a hat. Firmness in the belief of his political philosophy is a rare attribute nowadays and thinking voters consider that as Nestor’s asset.

In the press conference of former Mayor Tomas Osmeña, he admitted that the mayorship of Cebu City is, for him, such a burdensome job already that has made it unrealistic for him to aspire for. That is why he yields to his archival. Osmeña is not known for humility but his admission for a pronounced inability to run for mayor is salutary. This will add luster to Councilor Archival’s run.

I have heard Daluz and Ruiz to be reaching out to some barangay leaders. Some of them have former ties with the political forces of Rama and Osmeña. I am made to believe that they are offering huge logistical support. They should double time because from where I sit, they still are lagging behind.

"They should double time because from where I sit, they still are lagging behind. "