Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr…..indeed!

LET ME RUB it in. The “black props” not only failed, it fell flat on their faces. In fact it backfired and contributed a great deal to the victory of Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. much like what that nincompoop Noynoy Aquino’s “Daang Matuwid” did in making Rodrigo Duterte president of the Philippines.

Idiots never learn. They used the same strategy and “Otso Diretso” went straight to the “inidoro.

Indeed it does seem like an effortless segue, what with almost half a million Ilonggos helping; all one has to do is to add the prefix Jr. and you can hardly notice the difference. Perhaps there’s really no difference at all.

Of course, the natives of Iloilo Province can expect a much younger and vibrant version but seasoned in the art (pun intended) of good governance.

Incumbent Iloilo governor Arthur Defensor Sr. will end his term this June 30 and his son, current 3rd District congressman Arthur Defensor Jr. a.k.a. “Toto” is waiting in the wings, poised to take over as the next governor of Iloilo Province.

And it has come to pass he won as governor; he did it in tremendous fashion, utterly decimating to smithereens the ambitions, perhaps cravings, of 4th District congressman Ferjenel Biron a.k.a. “Ferjie”.

From 99.49 percent election returns transmitted, Toto Defensor got 477,284 votes over Ferjie Biron’s 388,387 votes, clearly showing a massacre with a lead of 88,897 votes.

A few days before elections and on the day itself, social media – particularly Facebook – was flooded with posts from Ferjie’s barkers that he would win with a margin of 60,000 votes according to some survey.

I wonder what happened to that. Lost in translation perhaps, or just a figment of somebody’s uncreative imagination.

You know there’s a cardinal rule among pushers and con men: “Never smoke your shit.”

It seems Ferjie’s handlers got high on their own “shit” and shot themselves in the foot and think like Rommel Ynion.

Well, Ferjie is filthy rich but Rommel Ynion has learned his bitter lesson. Perhaps in time Ferjie will, too.

On April 22 I wrote in this column the results of a Panay News online survey on the gubernatorial race in Iloilo Province and it proved prophetic.

In retrospect:  Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. – 67.6 percent; Ferjenel “Ferjie” Biron – 31.8 percent

There is no doubt based on this April 15 partial and unofficial online survey results Arthur Defensor Jr. a.k.a. “Toto” won by more than 50 percent from the total respondents of this online survey, a lopsided landslide, a massacre over governor wannabe Ferjenel Biron a.k.a. “Ferjie”.

Doing the math on the online survey results, it showed a very insurmountable lead of 33.8 percent, a tough mountain to climb indeed for the portly “Ferjie”.

A massacre indeed and from the look of things this will be the trend come actual Election Day.

Moi is pretty sure that the opposite camp’s response would be it’s just a survey and not the actual elections, and it could be rigged for all we know.

Of course it is just a survey. But if that’s any indication then any candidate wanting to be governor of Iloilo province would take it seriously and prepare Plan B.

The survey is basically a “one on one” between Ferjie”Biron and Toto Defensor Jr. which is expected as both are the only serious contenders with any chance of winning as governor of Iloilo Province.

Based on that online survey, it’s a lopsided victory, almost a massacre with Toto Defensor winning with almost no chance for Ferjie Biron, he must be squirming in his drawers or knickers.

This survey proves to be not only prophetic but perhaps the only true and unadulterated one that came out during the campaign period.

If Ferjie’s people belittled that survey then this is the proper time to say, “I told you so.” And if Plan B was more bihon, obviously it didn’t work.

Perhaps it was a cruel twist of fate that bihon became synonymous with Biron, notwithstanding the fact that bihon rhymes with Biron.

You know, on bihon, if I remember my Abuela right, she used to say that the best is manufactured mostly in the town of Pavia and election returns say that Ferjie lost in that town. Talk about irony.

Half a million Ilonggos have spoken. They refused to be force- fed with bihon. Mention that word and it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

A colleague mentioned that I strongly believe in Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. as the next governor of Iloilo.  Of course, and here’s why:

You can say that I knew him quite well but that was decades ago. The last time I saw him was almost 40 years ago and he was still in short pants, football shorts, that is. He was a midfielder on the Assumption Iloilo U-13 Football Team and Moi was the coach.

Yes, I know him that well as a 12-year-old footballer and his attitudes and skills on the pitch.

I was also his Social Studies teacher and class adviser in Grade 5, Assumption Iloilo. I’m very confident that the Assumption education and values we imparted on him became his guide growing up facing the harsh realities of this gig we call life.

Since then I never saw him nor had contact as an adult except from what I read on the newspapers that he became a lawyer and a politician.

And this old man is really proud of his former student. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)

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