An attempt to split GMA’s supporters in Cebu

As of this writing, we still have to see anyone challenge Gov. Gwen Garcia for the governorship of Cebu. So far, there’s no one from the opposition’s horizon. But not very surprisingly, last week a challenger’s name surfaced and he was no other than former Rep. Celestino "Junnie" Martinez Jr., husband of Rep. Clavel Asas Martinez, who sparred with Gov. Garcia in the 2004 elections but lost.

Gov. Garcia is currently the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) provincial chairman, while Junnie Martinez is the provincial chairman of the Lakas-CMD. This is where the problem begins, as both political parties are supportive of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) and the Lakas spokesman, Bert Emphasis, seems to be working feverishly to divide the pro-GMA political parties, selling the idea of a rematch between Junnie Martinez and Gov. Gwen Garcia. If you recall, President Arroyo won by a margin of a million votes in Cebu simply because these two political parties were united against a virtually zero opposition during that presidential election!

Right now, the Genuine Opposition (GO) has no gubernatorial bet to field against the administration candidates… who are all counting on Gov. Garcia’s "One Cebu" political party allied with Kampi. It may sound strange or even ridiculous, but Gov. Garcia might just have a challenger from the very same supporters of President Arroyo. Is this how politics in this country has gone or sunk so low that it’s entirely nauseating? Doesn’t the pro-Arroyo political parties recognize what is called the "equity of the incumbent"?

Pundits here believe that all this is the handiwork of Bert Emphasis, who also doubles as the bata-bata of Atty. Norberto Quisumbing Jr. (NQJR) of Norkis-Yamaha fame. Lately, Quisumbing has been at odds with Mandaue City Mayor Teddy Ouano because this businessman is interfering in Mandaue politics because he wants his grandson Luigi Quisumbing to run for Congress. This got him the ire of Mayor Ouano, who threatened to take away the honor from him of being an adopted son of Cebu for his contribution to Mandaue.

If Bert Emphasis convinces the Lakas-CMD to field Junnie Martinez to run for governor, that means he would put up an entire slate and it goes without saying that for the sixth district, Luigi Quisumbing would be running against incumbent Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, all of them Arroyo supporters. Where would the funds of Lakas-CMD be coming from? Where else, but from President Arroyo, of course!

But I heard that Junnie Martinez isn’t so eager to challenge Gov. Garcia simply because pundits here say that he lost a lot of money during the last gubernatorial race. That’s very true! But the Lakas still "floated" Junnie’s name anyway and is working with a joint Kampi-Lakas committee to resolve this issue. But the problem with Junnie Martinez is his rating is very low against Gov. Garcia as compared to the surveys during the 2004 gubernatorial elections where they looked dead even.

Worse for Lakas is that, Junnie’s wife, the infamous Rep. Asas Martinez, turned her back on President Arroyo during her darkest time last year at the height of the "Hello Garci" scandal, where she publicly declared her regrets in supporting President Arroyo and worse, insisted that GMA cheated in Cebu province. I’m just wondering why Clavel didn’t openly admit that she cheated for the President? Perhaps, it is because that would have meant that she, too, stole her being a congresswoman.

At this point Gov. Garcia wanted President Arroyo to personally pick whom she should be backing in the coming gubernatorial elections. But if you ask me, President GMA has no choice because there is no doubt about the loyalty of Gov. Gwen to the President since day one when she became governor of Cebu… while the Martinezes not only abandoned her, they even dared to say that the President cheated in Cebu during the 2004 elections. In truth, they had to say this because Junnie lost the gubernatorial race to Gov. Garcia and as we all know about politics in this country, we do not have losers in this political game, but only those who were cheated!

If there is anything going for Gov. Garcia is that the province of Cebu hasn’t seen her type of politician in decades… as she has shown an uncanny performance added with a sprinkle of good governance. Today, we can travel around in southern Cebu because the governor asphalted and built bridges on the national road from Bato in Santander to Moalboal… roads that never saw asphalt before.

Gov. Garcia’s Suroy-Suroy sa Probinsya has brought Cebu’s tourism boom to the towns that have never seen tourists before. Nine months ago, Gov. Garcia declared her "all-out war" against the insurgency and the NPA and the NDF warned that blood would spill in the province of Cebu. Today, she is winning this war without firing a single shot… and no blood spilled! It is by fighting the roots of poverty that Gov. Garcia is winning the hearts and minds of the people of Cebu. In truth, she is so far ahead in the surveys; the only reason that Junnie is interested in a rematch against Gov. Garcia is for the funds of it! If it’s not for the money, then what is he running for?

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Remember the cry, "The Russians are coming!" Well, the Russians are already here in Cebu and last Wednesday evening, Gov. Garcia hosted the huge Russian Federation delegation of 50 men and women at the Provincial Capitol’s Social Hall, led by Sergey Kalashnikov, head of Social Development and Environment Protection under the Prime Minister’s Office; Vladimir Sukharev, vice president of the Eastern Dimension (I understand this is a business organization similar to the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc.); and Andrey Bunich, president of the Union of Entrepreneurs.

The Russians were welcomed by both Gov. Garcia and Vice Gov. Greg Sanchez and a delegation from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry headed by Francis Monera and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) vice president Jose Ng. According to the Cebu governor, this was the biggest delegation of Russian entrepreneurs to Cebu.

In his speech, Sergey Kalashnikov revealed that the reason why they were in Cebu was that they were impressed by its hosting of the 12th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit. At this point, it is too early to tell if we will see real Russian investments poured here. But as CCCI president Francis Monera told me, the chamber and the Eastern Dimension will sign a Memorandum of Mutual Cooperation, which should be a good start as it is the first-ever agreement that Cebuano businessmen would have with the Russians.

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talkshow, "Straight from the Sky," shown every Monday, 8 p.m., only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable.