EDITORIAL - Square peg in a round hole

As this was written, Mayor Tomas Osmeña had not yet confirmed, or denied for that matter, what his Guadalupe barangay captain and close friend Jingjing Faelnar categorically said: That Osmeña would run for Congress in the city's south district in 2010.

Like President Arroyo running for Congress in her home province of Pampanga, there is nothing wrong with Osmeña running for a congressional seat. Both are not prohibited from seeking an office other than that which they are presently holding.

But while there is nothing wrong with the act of running, the real problems will start to appear once they win, given the kind of personalities these officials have. Both Arroyo and Osmeña are bossy types. They listen to only one voice and adhere to only one rule — theirs.

Now that kind of character may be applicable to executive or administrative positions such as that of a president or mayor. But it will go against the very grain of legislative work which entails a lot of compromise and horse-trading.

How do you think a man like Osmeña, who has no qualms barricading a church just to get back at his enemies or send vendors packing simply because they happen to be residents of a place whose leaders have angered him, would fare as a congressman?

A congressman is somebody who is eager to please most of the time. Even congressmen who are known to be from opposing political forces have been known to cross party lines on certain issues and legislative matters.

That is because congressmen know that almost nothing ever gets done unless they all learn to scratch each other's back. Compromise and accommodation is the name of the game in Congress, a game that Osmeña hasn't tried playing since joining politics two decades ago.

At least Arroyo has a little advantage over Osmeña in this situation because she is not exactly a neophyte in this kind of wheeling and dealing. Besided many of the congressmen have, at one time or another, eaten from the palm of her hand.

But other than his familiar name, Osmeña will be a certified tyro in Congress, who will be coming in with a reputation not a few congressman would greet with disdain. So it would be a truly interesting development how Osmeña would adjust, if indeed he want to make Congress next.