Why mayors and governors fear their vice

Politics is the air that mayors and governors breathe, and their vice mayors and vice governors too. Politics is the water they drink, the blood in their veins, the thoughts in their minds, the emotions in their hearts. It’s all politics ad nauseam. Presidents, senators, and congressmen eat politics for breakfast, lunch, dinner, even midnight snacks.

If we discern some measure of discomfort or even irritation in City Hall nowadays, concerning how politics destroyed the good relationship between the mayor and the vice mayor, the same is true in the Capitol, between the governor and the vice governor. It’s readily understandable in the province because the two top officials belong to different parties. But it’s quite unexpected in the city, considering the mayor and his vice are supposed to be political allies. All insiders feel the tension. Many are caught between divided loyalties and perceived betrayals. Official functions and inter-office communications are hampered, and ultimately, the quality of public service suffers, to the detriment of the people who elected them into office.

This phenomenon isn’t unique to Cebu though, nor to any city or province. It’s endemic. Mayors always look at the vice mayor as a threat, a rival for publicity and popularity, a future opponent even if they belong to the same party. This is exacerbated by the cordon sanitaire around the governor and the mayor who have their own selfish agenda. It seems their agenda cannot push through if the vice governor or vice mayor is in harmony with the local chief executive. Thus, underlings sow intrigues and rumors to drive a wedge between them.

A rare exception was the tandem of former mayor Herbert "Bistek" Bautista and Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte in Quezon City. It happened because Bautista respected Joy's father, former speaker Feliciano Belmonte, owner of The Philippine STAR. It was also due to Joy's careful actions, always avoiding appearance of disloyalty or betrayal. Joy knew how to wait and Bistek knows how to honor his promise. He wasn’t like Erap who didn’t fulfill his promise to Isko Moreno. Another rare exception is the tandem of Mayor Edwin Olivarez of Parañaque and Vice Mayor Rico Golez. They don’t undermine each other. They support and complement each other. They even watch each other's backs. That is true partnership, genuine friendship

Mayors and governors are just like presidents. President Duterte doesn’t trust VP Robredo. PNoy had doubts about Jojo Binay. GMA liked Noli de Castro (he was harmless) but hated Guingona Jr. Erap was a victim of GMA. Erap, as vice, was not FVR's choice but they had a “live and let live” covenant. Cory hated Doy Laurel due to intrigues from the yellow army. Marcos respected Tolentino but earlier used and betrayed Fernando Lopez. Diosdado Macapagal saw Emmanuel Pelaez as a threat and Pelaez felt DM didn’t honor his word not to run for reelection. Magsaysay and Garcia had the best teamwork because the president was a mechanic and Garcia was a lawyer. No rivalry. Quirino had problems with Lopez, after Roxas died Quirino took over. They didn’t have much chance to bicker. The best teamwork was between Quezon and Osmeña. The president was all fire and the vice was all water. They complement each other.

In general, the number one and the number two don’t really trust each other, much less love each other. Number two is always coveting number one's chair. Number one is always suspicious of number two's motives. They are bound to hate each other. Any rare exception is just a result of the incidental confluence of many factors.