BY ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
WHY “cunning”?
This word has “titillated” Bacolodnons for a week now. It is one of the two words used by Councilor Jun Gamboa to describe his opponent, former councilor Caesar Distrito, during RMN-dyHB’s “Debate Serye 2022” for vice mayoral candidates in Bacolod held at the IKTHUS Worship Center in Barangay Mandalagan on March 16. The other word was “wise”.
Jun’s description of Caesar as wise and cunning was unexpected. It was likened to an “explosive” detonated in full view of everyone. It “shocked” Bacolod.
Now, anywhere you go in Bacolod – coffee shops, markets, cake houses, restaurants or malls – cunning seems to be the word of the week.
So, Lesson 101: What’s cunning?
Three famous dictionaries in the world have (almost) similar meanings. Oxford Languages defines cunning as “having or showing skills in achieving one’s end by deceit or evasion.”
“Dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources or in attaining an end characterized by wellness and trickery or displaying keen insight,” says Merriam-Webster.
Cambridge Dictionary emphasizes that “cunning people are good at planning something so that they get what they want, especially by tricking other people, or things that are cleverly made for a particular purpose.”
In our local tongue, cunning is equivalent to “toso”, “maru”, “madiskarte” or “abilidadan”.
But wait! Says Oxford Languages, cunning, for the Northern Americans, means “attractive and quaint”.
For Cambridge, it’s also “prettily appealing or cute”.
So, which is which?
I asked Jun for elaboration, but he refused. He just told me, “That’s it, Bo!”
Too, I texted Distrito for comment/reaction, but to no avail still.
CONNECT THE DOTS
Another “explosive” discharged by Jun during the debate was the issue on illegal drugs in the city.
Jun (right there and then) wanted to “exhume” the intelligence (intel) report of then Bacolod City Police Office’s (BCPO) deputy chief, Col. Jovie Espinido. Thus, he asked Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran about it, especially on a council member whose family is reportedly linked to illegal drugs business.
But clever as he is, El Cid said, “I don’t know what happened to that report. Na-mention man lang ni Col. Espinido nga just connect the dots. “
Jun insisted: Do the people have the right to know that report?
El Cid’s candid reply: Honestly, I didn’t receive any. I don’t know if the mayor (Bing Leonardia) may ara sina.
Well, Jun’s questions about illegal drugs were so “tricky”.
Another serious issue raised during the debate was the graft complaint filed by Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) against Caesar’s brother, Rosinie Distrito, the sitting village chief of Barangay Singcang-Airport.
The case, according to lawyer Marcus Aurelian Vaflor, acting as counsel for Ceneco, was filed at the Ombudsman-Visayas on March 15, 2022.
But Caesar, in a text message, said, “It’s not about my candidacy. It’s a matter between another local government unit and the utility company. It doesn’t bother me.”
“They (Rosinie, et.al) done nothing wrong and they explained it well. The issue becomes political because it is our opponents who are trying to muddle the issue. The lawyer who filed the complaint is, in fact, the same lawyer who filed the complaint against former congressman Albee Benitez,” added Caesar.
“Anyway, Kap Rosinie can well defend himself in this issue. I am confident that Bacolodnons can discern well that this case is purely political harassment and has no legal standing whatsoever.”
J.O. BROUHAHA
On the undying brouhaha regarding job order (J.O.) workers in the city, Caesar (really) positioned to wallop the issue against the vice mayor.
But El Cid, silent yet composed, was so quick to stop Caesar by simply saying: Indi bala sang konsehal ka, ikaw man ang may pinakadamo nga JO, mga 50 ka bilog?
Then, there’s silence on the part of Caesar.
As to the controversial proposed Bacolod MassKara Coliseum (BMC), Caesar nixed the Leonardia administration for not realigning the budget for the construction of a city hospital instead.
On contrary, however, an ordinance for this BMC project, according to El Cid, was also authored by Caesar.
Left with no choice, Caesar admitted being the “brain” behind BMC construction.
Though, he explained that authoring such an ordinance happened during the pre-pandemic.
Now, that we’re still in the midst of the pandemic, he stressed, it is necessary to divert the loan for hospital construction instead of BMC.
But El Cid reasoned out that the project had already been started and so it’s impossible to be suspended and/or for the budget to be realigned to other purposes.
Furthermore, the debate also tackled the alleged expired noodles and “baho nga bugas” reportedly distributed by the city government during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020.
Caesar would like to pin El Cid down on the issue, but the latter was so “smart” in answering, “We hadn’t received any official complaint.”
“If it’s true, those expired noodles can be returned to the supplier(s) or ang baho nga bugas, basi
nabasa lang, so, pwede gid mabayluhan,” voiced the vice mayor.
PRELUDE TO ‘POLKELOID’
Well, the debate gave Bacolodnons chances to somehow scrutinize the vice mayoral candidates – El Cid, Caesar and Jun. Each of them is more than qualified for the post. But Bacolodnons’ criteria in choosing the vice mayor are sometimes weird. Thus, nobody knows who’ll gonna win yet.
But in my personal opinion (correct me if I am wrong), the “heaviest jabs” unleashed by Jun against Caesar are the wise and cunning description. Both terminologies really “wounded” the latter’s standing in the vice mayoral derby.
And whether Caesar likes or not, such is somehow a prelude to political keloid (“polkeloid”) that may cause him internal or emotional distress.
Thus, for me, it could be better if Jun made an explanation about cunning than leave Bacolodnons in the midst of confusion.
So, not until Jun can elaborate such, Caesar, for sure, will languish silently – and it’s a little bit worrisome. Worse is if such confusion may be translated to people’s admonition later./PN
