EDITORIAL - The mayor’s enemies, real or imagined

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is up for reelection in about a year’s time. By this time, most politicians similarly situated would already be training their sights on their prospective opponents, if they have not started shooting already. But it seems Mayor Osmeña prefers to engage presidential assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino instead.

So, does Osmeña consider Dino a likely contender for his post in May 2019? It is true Osmeña and Dino have had prior differences and that these have clearly carried over to the present. But if Dino is not expected to challenge Osmeña in next year’s local elections, the ongoing tit-for-tat between the two can only prove more harmful to Osmeña than it will be to Dino.

Unless, of course, there is something Osmeña knows that most people don’t. Dino, for his part, has not given any indication he is going to challenge Osmeña for his post, unless his engaging the mayor in a running word war is interpreted in that regard. For other than the political circumstances that either party currently finds himself in, the likelihood is still that this is just a carry-over of a previous spat that neither is willing to forget and move on from.

The word war between Osmeña and Dino is more harmful to Osmeña because of the fact that he is the “declared” candidate by operation of fact, being an incumbent who is eligible for another term. Any telling blow from Dino can hurt him. As Dino has not made any open declaration of his political plans, if any, then the situation is not reversible. Short of any criminal accusation for which he will have to be publicly accountable, any telling blow from Osmeña will not hurt Dino politically.

Dino has the luxury of foregoing any political plans, if he has any, in case any blow from Osmeña does get to be too telling. And the best thing about it is that, having not made any open declaration, Dino can go on with his life pretending he never set any sights on Osmeña’s seat. And if that happens, Osmeña will have wasted too much time getting preoccupied with the wrong specter.

In the meantime, there is the matter of Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella who, quite interestingly, despite having openly declared an interest in the mayorship if the opportunity arises, has been left largely alone by Osmeña. Does Osmeña think Dino is more of a threat than the vice mayor? How the mayor proceeds in the next few months will reveal the true measure of his political acumen.