The Comeback Nobody Asked For: Aliping Swings, Domogan Ducks, and Baguio Shrugs
Andy Ignacio — May 1, 2025
The Comeback Nobody Asked For: Aliping Swings, Domogan Ducks, and Baguio Shrugs
There’s something almost poetic-if not pitiful-about two politicians throwing shade at each other in slow motion.
First, former Congressman Nicasio “Nick” Aliping Jr. creeps out of political obscurity with a jab so soft it needed subtitles: he’s young, Domogan is old, and voters should choose youth. Then, like clockwork, Mauricio Domogan—three-time mayor, former congressman, and now full-time legacy-chaser—fires back with a proud declaration:
"I Thank Atty. Nick Aliping for seeing that I am over experienced."
"I am not boasting but you were the one who said it. Yes it's true I am only the candidate among all of us who have the vast of experience and qualifications."
"I’m not just experienced, I’m OVER experienced. OVER qualified!"
It’s the kind of exchange you’d expect at a family reunion between titos fighting over who gets to hold the microphone. And that’s the problem—this isn’t karaoke night. It’s a congressional race. And the people of Baguio aren’t asking for grandstanding resumes or recycled rivalries. They’re asking for results.
Aliping says Domogan is past his prime. Domogan says he’s the only one with “vast of experience”—grammar errors and all. But here’s the kicker: neither of them seems to realize that the city has moved on. This tit-for-tat might’ve worked a decade ago, but now it just reeks of insecurity masked as relevance.
And while the two trade barbs, real issues—urban decay, land rights, Cordillera autonomy, the environment—go undiscussed. Because why talk policy when you can flex your political mileage like it’s still 1998?
Let’s be clear: Baguio doesn’t need a comeback tour. It doesn’t need a congressman who ghosted the city after a landslide scandal. It doesn’t need a former mayor who treats politics like a lifelong entitlement. What it needs is leadership that’s less interested in one-upping each other and more interested in uplifting people.
This race isn’t a boxing ring for egos. It’s a chance to break the cycle of overstayed welcomes and recycled rhetoric. If all Aliping and Domogan can offer is a petty pissing contest over who's more “qualified,” maybe it’s time they both sat down.
Because in the grown-up room, actual service beats overexperience every single time.
