EDITORIAL – Courting Cebuanos

Dismissing the perception that Cebu is a strong Liberal Party bailiwick, Senators Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero barnstormed the province last Thursday reportedly courting Cebuanos to support their tandem in the coming elections.

Poe and Escudero made a trip to Danao City to woo the influential Bakud party of the Duranos in the fifth district. Bakud leaders, led by Ramonito Durano III, however, refused to commit any support, telling the tandem that they have yet to decide who they are going to support.

While Poe and Escudero are running as independent candidates, some political parties are interested to support their tandem. For one, the Nationalist People's Coalition, Escudero's political party, is reportedly willing to throw its support behind their bid.

Cebu fifth district Representative Ace Durano reportedly admitted that he is attracted to the Poe-Escudero tandem, saying he was amazed by the political "inclusiveness and open-mindedness" of the two.

Ace is the province's newly-appointed NPC chair and since he is the Bakud vice president, an alliance with the NPC is likely. And if NPC decides to support Poe and Escudero, the tandem would likely get the support of Bakud, which controls almost all towns in the fifth district with a voting population of more than 350,000.

Earlier, Poe and Escudero reportedly had a talk with lawyer Winston Garcia, who is now consulting various sectors in his intention to run for governor under One Cebu, once the province's largest political party.

No alliance has been sealed. But the two senators were reportedly impressed by Garcia's vision for the province. But should further negotiations bear fruit, then we are likely to see the Poe-Escudero ticket getting the support of One Cebu.

However, whether the tandem would eventually get the support of the Cebuanos remains to be seen.

As a vote-rich province, Cebu is expected to again play the role as an important political battleground in the run-up to the May polls. Its support had been proven crucial in the previous elections, therefore competition is expected to be tight among the presidential candidates in the province.