BY PET MELLIZA
THE BEEKEEPER

With the filing of the certificate of candidacy to start and end in October 2012, the political grapevine rattles with queries whether this person-who-and-that will throw his or her hat in the political arena.

In Iloilo City, not-so-few pundits focus their inquiry on Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, Rep. Jerry Trenas, businessmen Rommel Ynion and Larry Jamora, and former justice secretary Raul Gonzalez, Sr., the stars of the political show, so-called.

Will Mabilog run for re-election in 2013? Or will Trenas move down to clash with him. Or will Mabilog and Trenas swap seats to avoid a collision course that will only benefit their common enemies, namely: Gonzalez, Jamora and Ynion?

Jamora vehemently denied any political agenda much less run for mayor but his acts merely drew suspicion from Mabilog. Jamora only reinforced the perceived agenda of his with a seemingly harmless statement: “Ngaa makulbaan sila sa akon kay madugay pa eleksyon? Ang ginahimo lang naton subong iya amo ang para sa ikaayo sg mga pumuluyo”. Elections are yet far away; all that I am doing now is simply work for the welfare of our people or words to that effect. And that suspicion grows whenever he publicly confesses to his friendly encounters with Gonzalez and Ynion.

Jamora, since his loss in the mayoralty race in 2010, refuses to shy away from the political klieg light by playing the role of “private citizen Larry” volunteering himself and his resources to make Iloilo City a better place and make local governance responsive to the public.

Mabilog responds by perfunctorily thanking Jamora and wishing they would sit down together one day to discuss the proposed cooperation from the Jamora family.

Jamora last year proposed to beautify and line the streets of Valeria and Delgado with giant potted plants. He was heard later ruing that his proposed cooperation ended with Mabilog’s public expression of gratitude. Nothing happened since then.

Trenas is enigmatic. Since wresting the congressional seat in May 2010, his public appearances are marked by his silence on plan 2013. The grapevine is awash with rumors that he’s getting back his previous office, the mayoralty of the city that he held for nine straight years. He’s “unhappy” in Congress that entitles him to a pork barrel of only P50 million while Mabilog enjoys the vast opportunity in disbursing Iloilo City’s budget of above P1 billion.

Ynion is more enigmatic. He declares he hates “demoting myself” by clashing with Mabilog.

The incumbent refuses to buy that. The more that Ynion disowns any mayoralty ambition the more that Mabilog mistrusts him, especially, when Punong Barangay Rene Ong, Art Calsas and Boyet Octavio continue their blitz of visiting villages to distribute bread, rice and copies of two daily newspapers that crucify Mabilog on one hand, and on the other, praise Ynion.

And the feeling is mutual. Mabilog maintains in his stable a coterie of media strategists and spin doctors all committed to praise him and curse through the regular media and the cyberspace, Ynion, publisher Danny Fajardo and columnist/anchor Manuel “Boy” Mejorada.

Ynion has a stable of political spin doctors, too, which pry into the personal life of Mabilog and pillory him on a wide range of issues, from corruption to his gender preference.

Ynion through persons identified with him slapped graft charges on Mabilog. The latter responded in kind by filing libel suits on Ynion et al.

And how is former justice secretary and congressman Raul Gonzalez, Sr? Gonzalez admits he regularly meets with Jamora and “very occasionally” with Ynion.

Does Gonzalez have plans for 2013? Well, he also says “dugay pa eleksyon”. Elections are still far-fetched. In the talk show “Kape kag Isyu” hosted by Peter Jimenea, however, the former justice secretary hints something up his sleeve.

If ever he and Jamora had political plans, “we will announce it this June 2012”. He foresees that the moment he and Jamor confirm their political agenda, “I might give up my election protest”.

Gonzalez has a pending election protest versus Mabilog. That suit though becomes “moot and academic” when one files his or certificate of candidacy as it implies “lack of interest to prosecute".*