Will the Baguio electorate see a husband-wife tandem in power this time?

At the homestretch of the campaign for the May polls is a raging debate if this time, Baguio City’s electorate will finally fall into the husband-wife tandem of Rep. Marquez Go winning the multi-cornered mayoralty race and his wife Sol besting also a multi-cornered congressional battle?

The debate even rages more with seeming uncertainties as multi-term mayor and congressman Mauricio Domogan, reentering local politics after a tremendous loss to Mayor Benjamin Magalong in 2022, got the endorsement of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) in the congressional race.

Magalong, whose main campaign mantra “Good Governance”, maintained anti-corruption and anti-political dynasty as its main campaign against the Go tandem that accordingly had its political machinery oiled with government’s ‘ayuda’ (social protection) programs.

“Public service is not a family affair,” Magalong believes. ‘Never are political position to be inherited’, in Filipino he told. He cites a scientific study that found out “dynasty breeds corruption,” adding, “corruption breeds poverty”.

The former PNP general, known for his anti-corruption crusade, declared, “I will be the first and last Magalong to run”.  He believed, “there are a lot of young people out there capable of running the government.” 

Magalong’s team mate in the Good Governance Alliance (GGA), human rights lawyer and re-electionist Councilor Jose Molintas said, “the creeping rise of a political dynasty in Baguio City is about protecting (the Go’s power). He believes, “it is dangerous” being the fact that (Mrs. Sol Go) is running in Congress to take over the seat being vacated by her husband (Rep. Mark Go) who is also running for mayor. He fears, “if both of them win, then one household controls the top posts in the City.” That is not public service, Molintas, a former UN Expert on Indigenous Peoples Mechanisms expert declared. “That is a conjugal hold on our government”.

Molintas, who hails from a prominent Benguet Ibaloi clan stressed, “Baguio has never been a place that tolerates this kind of power.” We are not a city to be passed down like a heirloom, he added, further reiterating, “we are not a people to be ruled by a family tree.” Let us put an end to this before it begins, stressed Molintas.

Though pundits believe it is still “a nothing sure ball game” with other players in the congressional and mayoral battlefield sweet-talking votes from ethnic and political loyalty lines.

Astute Baguio City legal luminary, though a confessed La Union voter, lawyer Lauro Gacayan believes there is yet any supporting evidence that the electorate here abhors a political dynasty scenario juxtaposing the 2022 election results here showed that Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was chosen by almost 80% here despite the fact that they know that his sister Imee was an incumbent Senator, his son Sandro for Congressman of the 1st district of Ilocos Norte and nephew Matthew Manotoc was for Governor in that same province.

He further noted that over 90,000 of Baguio voters voted for Sara Duterte as Vice President in 2022 despite her father as the incumbent President then while brother Paolo is Congressman of Davao City's First District and younger brother Baste is the Mayor of Davao City.   

Gacayan went on to cite that Baguio voters also overwhelmingly voted for Mark Villar as a Senator in 2022 “knowing fully well that his mother Cynthia is an incumbent Senator and Sister Camille is Las Pinas Representative”. He added, Baguio voters also voted for Alan Peter Cayetano as a Senator despite they know that sister Pia is an incumbent Senator and wife an incumbent Mayor of Taguig.

Gacayan posed, “so what is the yardstick of Baguio City voters on what constitutes political dynasty” while challenging die-hard anti-political dynasty campaigners, “I hope you could show the people of Baguio any data on the contrary”.

He goes on to add, “If Baguio voters will reject the Tulfo brothers, Alan Peter Cayetano, Camille Villar, and Imee Marcos on May 12, then I will be convinced that Baguio folks are against Political Dynasty.”

Begging to be argued against as he is not a voter of Baguio nor wanting to influence electoral behavior, he said, “I just want to show how baseless the self-serving claim of alleged political experts that Baguio voters are against political dynasty,” further insisting counter-argument to give him another more compelling reason not to vote for the Go tandem.

Today, May 6, a new movement called BAD (Baguio Against Political Dynasty) urged a “Day of Action” cajoling all groups and sectors “to show up and stand up against political dynasties and corruption”. 

The ‘movement’ expects all political camps who are against dynasty in Baguio to attend and show unity seeking to foil the creeping power monopoly in the city.