Davide from Venus vs Garcia from Mars

Had Governor Junjun Davide decided to run for reelection, the people of the province of Cebu would have had a very clear choice to make. If they wanted serenity of heart and spirit, coolness of confidence, the ambiance of contentment and the patience of a peaceful soul, the silent confidence of faith and hope, then they could have chosen a perfect gentleman, who never raises his voice and is always careful with his moves and prudent with his words. That is the trademark of Governor Junjun Davide, the good son of an excellent father, who brought him up to be very polite, humble and even self-effacing to a fault. But if the people want a dragon woman of dynamism and passion, of energy and enthusiasm, then they should perhaps go for Gwen Garcia, the go-go-go getter woman of the southwest, who held the gavel in the House, when the forces of Bebot Alvarez were desperately defending their turfs, from the advancing blitzkrieg attacks of GMA’s silent combat forces.

Gwen is the fire and Junjun is the water. Gwen is wind and Junjun is breeze. If the people want action, aggressiveness, boldness and adventurism, then Gwen is the one to choose. If they want peace and prudence, silent perseverance and unadorned determination, patience and caution to a point of hesitation, in the name of careful calculation, Junjun is the man. If you give Gwen some bunch of documents because there is going to be a contract negotiation, and time is of the essence, she would immediately read them and study them without delay, ask her trusted legal experts to analyze and discuss with her the pros and cons. Then she could and she would make on-the-spot decisions that may have far-reaching impact and incalculable implications. She has a sense of urgency, she has the boldness to tell her people not to sleep until the task is done, until the report is submitted, until the contract is signed.

Junjun Davide is a very deliberate and prudent man. He has been trained to be careful, to exercise utmost diligence and extreme prudence. If you give him a bunch documents like the ones given to Gwen, Junjun would never rush the process. He would go over the papers, line by line, word for word. As a lawyer, unlike Gwen, he very well knows the pitfalls both intrinsic and extrinsic. He is very prudent on the documents he signs, he is extra-careful on the appointments he made. Sometimes, it takes too long because he has to consult every single underling. He is respectful of the feelings of others, to the extent that he appears too timid and self-effacing. He speaks with undisguised humility and will never utter something without much deliberation and contemplation. You would watch him and wait for him and will never rush any decision nor imprudently jump into transaction that may be questioned later on.

If these two were my son and daughter, Gwen would be that ferocious girl who would jump and run and climb and roll with reckless abandon. Junjun would be the silent boy who would read his books in the corner, unaffected by the noises and hastes of the others. Gwen would be the girl who would rush to meet you in the gate or in the garage, her hands full of mud and dirt from the garden, and she would kiss you and hug you and tell you stories about her teacher and classmates. Junjun would wait patiently and when you go inside the house, he would kneel before you and kiss your hand. Gwen would be the one with so much extra-curricular activities in school, in sports arts, music and all. Junjun will make you come up the stage to award his gold medals and certificates of academic distinctions.

If I were the president, I would appoint Gwen as my executive secretary to run after Tugade in DOTr and Piñol in Agriculture to make sure that results are delivered on time. Then I would appoint Junjun as the Chief Justice of the land. He is the epitome of reflective thinking and contemplative decision-making. Or I would appoint Gwen to run the DILG so that all the governors and mayors shall go out into the field, meet the people and see where the rubber hits the road.

Then I would name Junjun, ambassador extra-ordinary plenipotentiary, just like his father. He would be perfect in diplomacy. The Pope would love him and award him the “pro ecclessia et  pontifice” and his dad, the former chief justice, would be very happy, being a Knight of Columbus and a staunch defender of the Catholic faith.

Now that Junjun decided to slide down to vice governor, then the Cebuanos could have both the fire and the water. They could have their cake and their wine too. Perhaps, this is even a better deal.