Gwen Garcia’s wrong move

“And so, without a sword, David defeated and killed the giant Goliath with a sling and a stone.”-1 Samuel 17: 50

What happened in the recently-concluded election in Cebu reads like a work of fiction. Many can hardly believe it became reality. Governor Gwen Garcia, the long-reigning political titan of the province, has fallen --not to a seasoned political rival, not to a wealthy contender, but to a neophyte: Pamela Baricuatro.

My initial observation during this midterm election was that Garcia’s reelection bid would be a walk in the park. I did not even bother to look into her opponents, assuming they lacked political pedigree. I thought the election was just a formality of Garcia’s new mandate.

To be honest, I met Baricuatro for the first time only last month when I invited her to my “Straight to the Point” radio program aired over station dyHP and Ifm. I decided to interview her after the news broke that the NBI had summoned her and the DSWD had filed a case against her.

That incident gave me the impression that Gwen was, again, bullying an ordinary citizen like what she had done even to Facebook bashers. Or perhaps, she already saw Baricuatro as a threat, especially after former president Rodrigo Duterte was taken to The Hague and Vice President Sara Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives.

Being part of the mainstream media, I took an interest in the case. I gave Baricuatro enough airtime during the interview, which received positive feedback from our listeners and social media followers. In the interest of fairness, I offered the same airtime to Garcia. Unfortunately, she declined, and I respected her decision.

A few days after the Baricuatro’s interview, Garcia tapped a vlogger, who happens to be her relative, to attack me. I wondered why I became a target of that vlogger’s tirades. I am not a public official and I had done nothing against him. I suspected that he was angered by my decision to give Pamela exposure on our station.

I considered three options on how to deal with the vlogger. First, ignore his comments completely. Second, respond head-on and name him on air. Third, address his points but avoid naming him, to avoid giving him undue prominence.

Initially I chose to ignore him. But as his attacks continued with no signs of stopping, I decided to pick apart his argument on-air, without retaliating directly, since he is not a public official. Instead I took up legitimate issue about his principal: Gwen Garcia.

If memory serves me right, I criticized Gwen for more than two weeks on valid governance concerns. That was my way of responding to the vlogger’s provocations. As long as he attacked me daily, I responded accordingly. In the process, my commentary against Gwen may have indirectly benefited Baricuatro.

Two days before the election, I gave Baricuatro another interview slot. That airtime was initially reserved for Gwen, but since she snubbed our invitation, I gave the opportunity to Baricuatro instead.

I believe Gwen’s downfall was caused by a combination of factors: Duterte loyalists, her arrogance and bad attitude, her vlogger-relative who acted like a loose cannon, and more. Gwen must realize that hiring that vlogger was a mistake.

Modesty aside, our station is the most listened-to radio station in Cebu, based on official surveys. With that, perhaps I and our radio stations made also a humble contribution to Baricuatro’s victory. Maybe we are part of this historic event.