A dog day afternoon discovery

My time yesterday after lunch qualified the meaning of “dog day afternoon” as a hot sleepy afternoon. The phrase actually referred to an ancient Roman practice of sacrificing a dog to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. Yesterday afternoon was really hot but I was not sleepy.

For the lack of a productive activity though, I spent my dog day afternoon scrolling the cellphone. While it was a random effort with no specific goal to work on, something told me I was fated to unravel an idea. Presto, after I went repetitively thru a series of political advertisements, I thought of being able to discern the changing strategy of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

I focused on Cebu’s gubernatorial candidates mainly because I am not an elector of the province. Without any links to the contending bets for governor, I can claim to be without bias. Well, it was Governor Garcia who approved and funded the project to codify the ordinances of Cebu Province which I worked on and for whose support, I am forever thankful.

When the certificates of candidates were filed, the lady governor appeared as without any viable opponent. Nobody seemed willing to do battle with her. After all, she, in the 2022 electoral contest, buried in an unprecedented avalanche of votes a more likely formidable opposition in a Durano, a known giant in Cebu politics. This time around, no candidate of a known political lineage surfaced to contest Gov Gwen. Then, I read of the name Pamela Baricuatro.

Among the initial reactions of the governor’s camp was denial. They refused to acknowledge that there was another woman who stood, apparent in her forlorn, to jostle for the governor’s diadem. The propaganda coming from the Garcia juggernaut portrayed Baricuatro as a dismissible political Lilliputian. Such initial press release cum advertisement as saying that Pam registered only a miniscule 4% acceptability rating as a gubernatorial bet not only aimed to humiliate Baricuatro but also designed to discourage everyone from lending support to a futile candidacy. At that early propagandizing, the governor was shown to be the darling of more 80% of the Cebu electors while the rest of the survey respondents declined to indicate their preference.

In her own propaganda, Pam Baricuatro, faced the belittling question “who is Pam” with a winsome attitude, a lovely face, and a stride of a rookie unafraid to take bold steps forward. Honestly, I am the old citizen who dislikes politicians who dance while campaigning. I want candidates to speak of their programs of government. Somehow, Pam did both with her dancing exceeding in grace than Gwen’s and surprising profundity in her brief discourses.

The next noticeable round of surveys indicated an increased degree of Pam’s candidacy. I saw that her rating went higher than the 20%+ level while that of the governor correspondingly reduced. But, even at that unexpected change in the percentage of preferences, Gov Gwen looked invincible.

Political campaigning is as unpredictable as lightning strikes. Firestorms exploded from the Duterte episodes of national politics. Initially, the lightning bolts in the form of the congressional inquiry into the alleged financial indiscretions of Vice President Sara Duterte Carpio favored the candidates of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. Gov Gwen benefited from the perceived Duterte family fall. In the local scene, both Garcia and Baricuatro acceptance levels plateaud.

The impeachment articles, the questionable national budget, and the ICC-issued warrant of arrest against past president Duterte obviously altered the campaign scene. Inexplicably, the roar of the Duterte crowd buries the decreasing whimper of BBM supporters such that Gov Garcia, now facing a growing challenge from Pam Baricuatro, has to change tactics. Social media, thanks to DDS, give thumbs up to Pam. While in the early part of the Marcos administration Gov Gwen, to the rue of DDS, was lavish in praising the president, I saw her late speech when she claimed that her respect for Duterte is not diminished even if her closest campaigner denounces Digong and Sara as filthy dirty. How startling a change in rhetoric!