IT CAN only happen in Angeles City.
What?
The multitude of vices.
But of course, Angeles having always been tagged “Sin City,” all the vices ever put in the Book can only come naturally.
Stop the moral drift, right there. I speak on the political plane. By “vices” I mean aspirants for the city’s second highest elective position. Yeah, vice mayor.
There are – so far – only two announced candidates for mayor – re-electing Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan and sitting 1st District Rep. Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin.
There are – so far – already six purported candidates for vice mayor, in no particular order now: re-electing Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting; City Councilor Bryan Nepomuceno, former city administrator Mark Allen Sison, City Councilor Alfie Bonifacio, Balibago chair Rodelio “Tony” Mamac, and City Councilor Jesus “Jay” Sangil.
Vega-Cabigting as seated vice mayor naturally has the odds in her favour. But none of the five challengers can be dismissed as pushover.
Nepomuceno has the pedigree, as well as the law degree.
Sison, with a Nepomuceno as co-competitor, may not be assured of the backing of his patron ex-Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno. So, he is reportedly banking on Vice President Jejomar Binay, in whose office Sison works now.
The dentist Bonifacio so brought the gift of smile to tens of thousands of residents – by his own reckoning of his toothy missions – that Fortune may just smile at him.
Mayoralty timber Mamac has shown his stature and stock goes beyond his Balibago domain, getting a respectable finish in the 2010 race for mayor.
And Sangil, already the darling of the local press whence he came, has shaped up as champion of the masa too – from the TODAs to the Aetas, day-care workers and their wards, nursing mothers and working women, market vendors and kargadors.
Sangil’s distribution of trikes to every city barangay is no mean feat too. But for Pampanga’s beloved Nanay, Gov. Lilia Pineda, what other politico has done that?
Any and all of the five challengers can give Vega-Cabigting the fight of her life.
Of them though, the greatest challenge could only come from Sangil, if not for anything else but the reality that the former journalist has his back against the wall, so to speak. And the art of war holds that the fiercest fighter is one devoid of all options but to strike.
Unlike Sangil who has reached his three-term limit, Nepomuceno and Bonifacio can still have city council seats to return to. And easily at that, given their “equity” as re-electionists in terms of name-recall and services provided.
Sison can quarterback Blueboy’s campaign for his old House seat – no walk in the park this time, with the surging Vice Gov. Yeng Guiao as principal rival. Which only underscores Mister Blue’s most pressing need for his foremost braintrust.
Mamac can opt to stay as Balibago chair and in the process wangle some concessions – like the city’s Liga ng mga Barangaya presidency which warrants a ready seat at the city council.
Sangil can only fight the fight of his political life.
Six candidates for vice mayor. The more choices, the better for the voters.
Six candidates. A surplus of vices in Angeles City, indeed. But in the final reckoning, only one endowed with the greatest… virtue (?) will win.
The political drift gone full circle to the moral plane where we started. It can only happen in Angeles City, yeah.
