Tale of the tape

There is a term that always flashes on the screens preceding each televised boxing presentation. It is called “Tale of the Tape”.  Promoters also distribute printed copies of this paper at the gates of live boxing shows. Fight fans look for this “tale” to anticipate the results and analysts use it in forecasting how the fight may be fought.

The tale of the tape is a graphed comparison of the boxers. The more important entries reflect the age, weight and fight records. For instance, when Filipino champion Bryan Viloria, lost his last defense of the belt, commentators thought he was a decade too old compared to his youthful opponent, the eventual champion Estrada, a Mexican. The bout progressed very much according to the “tale of the tape” with many expecting an abbreviated contest considering that both boxers had, on their record, the kind of power to knockout his opponent out.

Few days ago, I read a paid political advertisement of the candidates for Cebu governor and vice governor carried on in a local daily. It was a campaign propaganda of the One Cebu, the party of Atty. Pablo John Garcia, for governor and his running mate, Mr. Durano. The presentation was enlightening because by detailing first, the academic credentials of the candidates, and second, the track record of both, it was supposed to show the competence of gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial bets Atty. Garcia and Mr. Durano, respectively.

Not to be outdone, the Liberal Party came up, days after, with its own propaganda on Atty. Hilario Davide III, the party standard bearer for governor and his tandem, Acting Governor Magpale, for vice governor. I wanted to read, in the propaganda of the LP, the kind of information that One Cebu placed in its advertisement. But, it did not contain informative details. The saving factor was the picture of His Excellency, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, although it must be the reason why there was no more space for the credentials of the candidates.

It was to me, quite unfortunate, that from the two advertisement placements, I got no plausible standards of comparison. Their separate presentations were probably aimed at different, and therefore uncommon, objectives. Apart from the showing of their pictures, there was no commonality of the areas of concern, resulting in my failure to grade them in certain specific paradigms.

For one, many, but not all of us Cebuanos, know that both aspirants for governor are lawyers. On that professional yardstick, they are, to a certain extent, at par with each other. Indeed, Atty. Garcia, made it quite clear in his paid ad, perhaps with some understandable degree of show off, how he fared in the bar examinations. Atty. Davide III, on the other hand, by not mentioning his academic background, denied those readers who are unaware of his legal profession, to know that he is, in fact, a lawyer.

On another area, these two candidates for Cebu governorship, have their stints in legislation. Atty. Garcia is a congressman representing the third district of the province. As such, he must have sponsored some pieces of legislative measures and participated in the discussion of bills. On his part, Atty. Davide III served the Cebu City council for two terms. The sanggunian being a local law-making body, the councilor must have also authored some ordinances and at least, he must have given his inputs in the eventual crafting of ordinances.

If a “tale of the tape” indicating the important aspects of the lives of Attys. Garcia and Davide, III, as lawyers and as legislators, is published, it can certainly be most helpful to us.  More importantly, such “tale of the tape” will tell us how many laws/ordinances did they author, what those measures were, and better still, what kind of legislative mind did they possess as they participated in the deliberations.

I therefore propose that the Liberal Party and One Cebu, send to the editors of Cebu's newspapers all information they believe should be known of their bets, by the voters. Then, these editors shall come up with the “Tale of the Tape” as one basis of the electors' intelligent choice.