Our conversation was strictly political although I knew that my visitor was and continues to be a voter in elections for provincial officials. With that in mind, I tried, in the earlier part of our chatter, to understand his leanings and realized that he was all praises to the Governor Gwen Garcia that should there be any election in 2007, he would campaign hard for her.
Perhaps fanned by my playing the role of the devil's advocate, here was how my friend viewed the situation. Gov. Garcia had to do everything within her increasing sphere of influence and reach out to all possible connections in order to slay these multiple threats to her political life called the "Sugbuak" bills. Her remaining in power would depend largely on the preservation of Cebu as one province. Conversely, she would be reduced to a single term governor should three other provinces emerge out of parts of the present Cebu.
There is no "gerrymandering" in the present legislative bills, as this term is generally understood. The main evil in "gerrymandering" is the creation of a political unit out of territories which are not contiguous to one another with the end purpose of tailoring it in accordance with the perceived clout of a politician. There is "gerrymandering" when say Camotes island, which is located on the eastern side of Cebu be made a part of the province as proposed by Congressman Kintanar on the southwest.
Indeed, "gerrymandering" does not attend to the bills filed by Representatives Simeon Kintanar, Antonio Yapha and Clavel Asas-Martinez. In seeking the creation of three other provinces, their proposals point to contiguous and compact territories. If it should happen that in these specific areas their names hold tremendous sway, it is something that has simply evolved out of their constant contact with the constituencies and it is therefore not legally unacceptable.
My visitor, assuming the success of the Sugbuak bills, believes that Gov. Garcia, (who he thinks is a voter in Barili) will find a hard time seeking for the governorship of what is now the third district. She will have no other province to be governor of. But, this is where now Congressman Yapha reigns. Why my visitor is convinced that the towns of Tuburan and Pinamungahan will deliver heavily for Rep. Yapha, Gov. Garcia should know.
From another angle, my friend told me something I was not aware of. He said that in Barili, the Garcia bet for mayor lost in the last elections. While the current town chief executive has turned coats, the incumbent congressman retains some deep-rooted clouts and is not definitely disadvantaged. Mentioning of the next town, the lady governor's advantage in Aloguinsan can be easily covered by Rep. Yapha's edge in Asturias.
Doubtless, Toledo City can not be considered a bailiwick of Gov. Garcia. The main cog in that city is Vice Mayor Rudy Espinosa who happens to be the father of the incumbent mayor. What is worth watching is Balamban. It should not be unknown to the governor that the political family in that industrial town has links to the Espinosas of neighboring Toledo City. Relationships of the kind I am talking about work in many miraculous ways during elections.
In the end, the best way for Gov. Gwen Garcia to prevent a political catastrophe is to ensure that the Sugbuak bills fail. That is why this battle against the creation of three more provinces out of Cebu is not just for the preservation of a dynamic Cebu but, to my friend's mind, more importantly for Gov. Garcia to continue to keep her esteemed post.