The opposition and the midterm elections

One year before the midterm elections, it appears there is no clear or solid national opposition yet in sight.

After the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte Carpio as secretary of the Department of Education, a debate transpired on whether she should be the leader of the opposition.

You cannot call yourself the opposition if you are not in sharp contrast with the administration, particularly in the areas of policies. You will just be a token opposition in the eyes of some people. This is Sara’s problem, because, so far, she has not criticized the president yet. She did not even give her reason for her resignation as DepEd secretary.

Some claim that the Liberal Party is the legitimate opposition. There is a problem here, but again, everything is possible in politics. “LP partnering with Marcos’ coalition? Lagman says ‘options are open’”, screamed a news headline. We all know that during the 2022 presidential campaign, Bongbong Marcos’ critics zeroed in on the dark days of martial law, particularly in the area of human rights abuses and widespread graft and corruption. That LP, or a segment of it, is open to a coalition with the party in power tells us that politics is about winning. I am certain, however, that there will be a real stir or chaos inside the party if such a coalition happens.

In all fairness to LP, like the PDP of the late Senator Nene Pimentel, it is a party that can boast of fighting the Marcos dictatorship. It is its mark. For it to coalesce with a party led by the son of the former dictator would be a stain on its record, from which it may never recover.

There are political parties --in fact, nearly all-- that can jump like rats in a sinking ship without their names being stained because these were formed for sheer political convenience.

The problem with LP is that it has been losing in many elections in recent years. If it wants to stay relevant, it must experience a new wave of victories. Compromise is part of politics. The only question is to what extent.

Locally, or in Cebu City, it now appears that the six-month preventive suspension of Mayor Michael Rama has slowly but surely revealed his real allies. No official statement or declaration is necessary, for now.

If, indeed, Mayor Rama and acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia are in the same boat, there should be signs of it. There is none. They have not been seen together in public appearances. They do not anymore praise each other. In an attempt to assert his leadership, Rama could only say he is still the elected mayor. He does not need to assert that way if he thinks he still has the full support of his allies.

Despite what happened to him, Rama has refused to leave PDP and recently appeared with the vice president.

Will acting Mayor Garcia become the official candidate of President Ferdinand Marcos for mayor in Cebu City, and in the process turn Rama into the official candidate of the Duterte camp? Only time will tell.

There is one thing I know: Cebuanos vote for their candidates regardless of whether the latter has the support of the national government!