EDITORIAL - Why a Gwen-Duke tandem won’t click

There is reportedly a manifesto now circulating in Cebu’s third district urging former Liloan town mayor Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco to consider running for vice governor in tandem with Representative Gwen Garcia in next year’s midterm elections.

Youth sectors in the district are reportedly signing a manifesto supporting a Frasco candidacy for the Capitol’s second highest position. Should he succumb to the clamor, Frasco will face incumbent Vice Governor Agnes Magpale.

Sangguniang Kabataan chairman Monching Makiling of Barangay Pandacan, Pinamungajan, said a “young and energetic” person should lead the Provincial Board. “We have looked at current leaders in the province, from north to south, and we found the best candidate in the person of former mayor Duke Frasco. He is young, full of energy, and most of all, have a track record of achievements in Liloan,” he added.

Frasco, however, would admit that going against the veteran Magpale will be an uphill battle. The commissioner of the Cebu Ports Authority acknowledged that being in politics for more than 50 years will make the vice governor tough to beat.

Well, like Magpale, Frasco is very much capable of presiding over the province’s legislative body. His family has been in politics for decades and as an intelligent young politician, many see a bright political future for him.

But against Magpale, Frasco himself sees a slim chance of winning, something Cebuanos are also seeing not because the vice governor is unbeatable but because of the thought that a Garcia-Frasco tandem would just not make sense.

We all know that Representative Garcia is the mother of Frasco’s wife. And pairing him with his mother-in-law for the two highest Capitol positions will surely not appeal to the voters. The best move for Frasco, if ever he wants to return to politics, should be to vie for other posts, away from the shadow of his mother-in-law.