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Opinion

How could Magpale lose in all districts?

WHAT MATTERS MOST - Atty. Josephus Jimenez - The Freeman

I never thought that Madame Agnes Magpale was that fragile and vulnerable. I thought that she is made of sterner stuff because the blood of the Duranos, the Dutertes, and the Almendrases run in her veins. I was shocked at the results of the last polls.

Elections are won and lost due to a combination of many factors. These include logistics, organization, strategy, platform, propaganda, and the quality of the candidate himself or herself.

But what constituted as the tipping point was the endorsement of their opponents by the President himself. From the time President Duterte raised the hand of Gwendolyn F. Garcia, the tide was turned in favor of the challengers. The same thing happened to Tomas Osmeña when Malacañan supported Edgar Labella.

Magpale lost in the first district because the Gullases are inseparable allies of the Garcias. Eddiegul, the unquestioned political kingpin there, is the strong and invincible. Gullas, by the way, regained his old seat in Congress, getting no less than 90% of the total votes cast from Sibonga to Talisay, and winning overwhelmingly in the cities of Carcar, Naga, and Talisay and the towns of Sibonga, San Fernando, and Minglanilla. Gwen won in all first district towns and Magpale suffered a big loss in that district.

Magpale also lost in the second district even if that is the turf of Junjun Davide, her running mate and her ally, Congressman Caminero. Davide and Caminero did win there convincingly. But Magpale lost, nonetheless.

There was no way that Magpale could win in the third district. That is the turf of her opponent Gwen Garcia who is that district's incumbent representative. Magpale lost in Toledo City, and also in all towns of Aloguinsan, Asturias, Balamban, Barili, Pinamungajan, and Tuburan. Magpale also lost in the northwestern district, the fourth, despite the fact that her opponent Gwen is from the south and she from the north. Magpale won only in Bogo City. She lost in the towns of Sta. Fe, Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Medellin, San Remigio, Tabogon, and Tabuelan. That district is controlled by Cong. Benhur Salimbangon who is a die-hard Garcia supporter with his daughter running as Gwen's vice.

What puzzles me is why Magpale lost in her own backyard, the fifth district. She only won in Danao and very slim, too, and in Sogod, with a plurality of less than two thousand votes. She lost heavily in nine towns of Borbon, Carmen, Catmon, Compostela, Liloan, and the island-towns of Pilar, Poro, San Francisco, and Tudela. I could only surmise that Magpale was too overconfident in her own bailiwick. And they had a very passionate and aggressive opponent, whose son-in-law Duke Frasco also ousted Red Durano unexpectedly, and her lawyer-daughter, the mayor of Liloan.

In the sixth district, Magpale lost heavily in Mandaue City, Consolacion, and Cordova.

In the seventh, I expected Magpale to lose because Dumanjug is the other turf of the Garcias. Indeed, Magpale lost in the seventh district but surprisingly won in Dumanjug by 14 votes. Gwen lost in her own turf and thus was also wounded by Magpale.

At the end of the day, politics can really hurt. Someone has to win and someone has to bite the dust.

AGNES MAGPALE

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