A Binay misstep?

The move by Quezon City Mayor Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte to support the mayoralty bid of his long-time vice mayor, Herbert Bautista, in the 2010 polls appears to have generated much enthusiasm among QC residents and political leaders, and has given the city’s political landscape added rays of sunshine.

The warm reception to Mayor Belmonte’s move is in response to what people perceive as his rejection of the “political dynasty mentality” – a temptation many political clans find hard to resist. The mayor has built quite a solid political brand in the city and many believe that his vast political goodwill could be easily transferred to a family member whom he may choose as his successor in city hall.

But the temptation was resisted. Mayor Belmonte has wisely opted to make a non-relative protégé the beneficiary of the good name which the mayor has nurtured throughout his public service career.

It’s a different story altogether in Makati City.

Over there, Mayor Jejomar Binay has opted to anoint his son, Councilor Junjun Binay, as his bet in the 2010 polls. There should be no problem with that. Except that for the past few years, Mayor Binay has announced time and again that his anointed bet in the 2010 polls is his long-time vice mayor, Ernesto Mercado. Junking Mercado and fielding his son appears to have triggered a deluge of problems for the mayor who is also running for vice president.

Problem number one: Mercado has decided to run without his long-time ally’s blessing. Compounding the problem is that many have welcomed Mercado’s bid. It appears that Mayor Binay’s repeated endorsement of Mercado’s bid has convinced people that the vice mayor is the rightful successor who can continue the gains of their effective tandem and bring these gains to the next level.

Problem number two: many of Binay’s important allies are supporting Mercado’s mayoralty bid. Case in point is Makati Representative Teddyboy Locsin, a long-time Binay supporter.

Locsin has completed his third term. His wife, the amiable Lourdes Barcelon-Locsin, has filed her bid for the congressional seat. Guess who she is backing. You’re right: Vice Mayor Mercado.

If the prominent Locsins have chosen to ally with Mercado, it may not be remote that other important Binay allies are migrating to the Mercado camp. The Locsins have strong political sense. They must know that supporting Mercado is the right move.

Compounding this problem is that the bids of both Junjun Binay and Vice Mayor Mercado mean a division of one single pie. Observers say this huge pie of supporters were built by the Mayor with Mercado doing the quiet work at the grassroots level. Mercado has vast goodwill and direct access to their erstwhile shared bailiwicks.

Problem number three: badmouthing Mercado appears to be backfiring. But is there any other way to deal with a junked ally except to justify the move by assaulting his character and reputation? Mayor Binay and his wife had already unloaded a mouthful against their erstwhile work horse. The mayor said he has only now realized who the “real Mercado” is. Few bought this line. Given the high political IQ of the mayor, the view is that he had long known the “real Mercado” and that is the reason he has kept the him as vice mayor and anointed him as successor.

That is, until the temptation to name another Binay became irresistible.

We can only commiserate with the good mayor. Given the problems, it appears turning one’s back on a word of honor is always a misstep.

Well, Makati is only kilometers away from Quezon City. But the approach to politics by the men at the helm seems to be worlds apart.

Parañaque showdown

Political kibitzers in the city of Parañaque are talking about recent developments that promise to make next year’s polls one of the most exciting in recent history.

Worth watching is the outcome of the congressional race for the first district between former Laguna Vice-Governor Edwin Olivarez and youth leader Ed Javier, a broadcast journalist who counts Reps. Teddy Boy Locsin, Sonny Escudero and Boying Remulla as co-hosts in Karambola sa DWIZ, a primetime radio program heard every morning by a large number of Parañaque residents.

In the most recent survey, Olivarez and Javier are separated by a mere two percentage points, 37 percent and 35 percent, a statistical tie on account of it being within the margin of error.

Olivarez, who relies on the strength of his family’s purchasing power, has an Achilles heel — his lopsided loss in the gubernatorial contest in Laguna in 2007 are viewed by many as the primary reason he is now training his sights on Parañaque. Not love for the city, but merely political expediency.

A very far third in the survey is a brother of incumbent Mayor Jun Bernabe. A puzzling decision that has revealed chinks in the political armor of the normally astute mayor. Already, he is getting hit by accusations of trying to create a family dynasty not just by his townmates but by members of the media.

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