EDITORIAL - Testing the water

Cebu City Councilor Augustus “Jun” Pe has just made good his promise.  Days ago he went to the South District office of the Commission on Election to apply for residency transfer from the North District.

Once his registration is approved by the poll body, the councilor would then be a certified voter in the south. But being able to vote in the south is not the primary reason for his transfer of residency. He wanted to continue serving the City Council by running in the next election.

Pe, a third-termer councilor, is barred by the law from running for another term to represent the north. This means he has to rest for one term.

But he has a brilliant idea. In order for him to run for the council again, he decided to pack his things up and moved to the south. Now, after completing a one-year residency requirement, he went to the Comelec office in the south to register.

Pe is clearly testing the water. If ever he has the go-signal to eventually run again for the council next year, his case – a sitting councilor who is barred from running for another term but is running for the same position in another district – will be the first in Philippine politics. However, whether the Comelec decides in his favor remains to be seen.

But one thing for sure, his move has drawn criticisms from various quarters. Many said political greed had driven him to transfer to the south so he could run again for the council, wondering why the councilor cannot just rest for one term.

Legally, there’s nothing wrong with Pe’s transfer to the south. It is well within his rights to move to wherever he is comfortable with. He can even transfer to another country to settle for good if he feels this country no longer offers a good life to live.

But his intention to run in the south for the council because he is barred from running in the north only supports some speculations that his move is purely motivated by his lust for power.

Granting the Comelec allows Pe to run for the council again, there’s another major decision he needs to win – one that is from the south voters themselves.