With newly-elected and re-elected local executives in Laguna province about to start another three-year term this week, the main question on everyone’s minds now is: What’s next for our province?
This week will herald another three-year cycle in the Philippines' - and in Laguna province's - political landscape.
On June 30, new and re-elected officials will assume their leadership positions in various cities and municipalities in the province.
The dust of what had been a frenetic campaign season has settled down after the May 9 elections. Transition teams have completed their work, and winning candidates are urging constituents to forget the fierce rivalries that had sprouted during the campaign and work together to achieve their goals.
So the main question Lagunenses are now asking is: What’s next for their cities and municipalities after June 30?
Continuity of projects
First off, there’s the issue of getting rid of the old traditional political ways of scrapping projects and programs of the previous administration in the name of “bagong pamamahala.”
That’s one issue San Pedro City’s residents are now seeking answers from the new administration led by Mayor-elect Francis Joseph “Art” Mercado, Jr.
After a surprise victory over the Cataquiz family, which had ruled San Pedro City for decades, San Pedronians are now asking: what will happen now to some major programs of the outgoing administration of Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz?
These include a list of major infrastructure programs, a local version of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” program, that the city LGU had initiated months before the May 9 polls.
These infrastructure programs include a brand-new medical center, new headquarters for some of its frontline agencies, and a new annex at City Hall.
Mercado’s team has yet to respond on whether these vital infra programs will be continued, as some San Pedronians have already advocated, or whether they will be scaled down or scrapped entirely.
The same problem now challenges the new leaders of the cities of Cabuyao and Calamba – incoming Mayors Dennis “Denha” Hain and Roseller “Ross” Rizal, who also made history after singlehandedly ending the grip of the Chipeco family in Calamba City’s political landscape.
Rizal is now facing the task of completing some major projects of the Chipeco administration, including the Calamba City Coliseum that detractors had complained was taking too long to complete.
Transition teams
Another tricky aspect for new leaderships is ensuring the smooth transition of local governance and ensure that basic public services will continue even with the change of administrations.
Calamba City and Los Baños municipality have reportedly made a successful transition between the outgoing and incoming leaderships.
In Los Baños, where Mayor-elect Anthony “Ton” Genuino bested five other candidates, outgoing Mayor Antonio Kalaw has reportedly graciously extended his help to the new young leader during their transition period.
As a gesture of solidarity and support to the new administration, Kalaw also attended the recent oath-taking ceremony of Genuino and other local officials.
That same vein of unity and solidarity was also found in Calamba City, where both incoming Mayor Ross Rizal and outgoing Mayor Justin Marc Chipeco publicly urged their constituents to forget political colors and unite for their city.
Unity what?
In San Pedro City, on the other hand, residents have been wondering whether the Mercados and the Cataquizes have been actively avoiding each other after May 9.
While incoming Mayor Art Mercado has posted on his social media accounts his meetings with current and new staff of the city’s local agencies, there has been no reported public meetings between him and outgoing Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz.
The Cataquiz camp also has yet to offer an olive branch to the Mercados, causing much speculation and suspicion among old-time residents.
“Parang hindi pa rin mawala ang bitterness na umusbong sa kanila simula noong kampanya,” political analysts told OpinYon Laguna. “Sila yung sumisigaw ng unity, pero ayaw naman nilang makipagkita sa isa’t isa. And this does not bode well for our city.”
Mixed reactions
Meanwhile, in places where incumbents retained their seats at major local positions, there has been “mixed reactions” among their residents as to what they could face during the next three years.
Biñanenses, for one, were jubilant at the “landslide” win of the city’s Big Three leaders (Mayor Arman Dimaguila, Vice Mayor Gel Alonte, and Rep. Len Alonte).
With the Dimaguila administration, whose “proactive” measures during the Covid-19 pandemic have made national headlines, winning the May 9 polls, residents said they were assured that the LGU will continue to provide the same high standard of public service they had experienced throughout the pandemic.
The same could be said of San Pablo City, where the Amante family has kept their hold in the city’s political scene, and in the provincial level as well, where incumbent Governor Ramil Hernandez and Vice Mayor Karen Agapay retained their posts.
According to some analysts, their re-elections were a vindication that their leadership has provided much-needed assistance to Lagunenses especially in the context of the pandemic.
“But that does not mean na hindi na sila kailangang magtrabaho,” they stressed. “In fact, itong mga re-electionists na ito, kailangan pa nilang pagbutihin pa ang kanilang trabaho – kumbaga, maintain or even exceed the high standards their constituents are expecting. Malaki and kargo na dala nila.”
Meanwhile, in Sta. Rosa City, some believe the victory of the Arcillas family (incumbent Mayor Arlene Arcillas retained her seat, while her brother Arnold became the vice mayor), could mean that “traditional politics” will become even more entrenched in the city’s political landscape.
“Parang medyo disappointing ang resulta sa Sta. Rosa City para sa ilang residente,” political analsyts explained.
“While we can credit Mayor Arcillas with the current economic growth of Sta. Rosa City, there has been a sense of growing dissatisfaction among Sta. Rosa’s residents. The main theme was, ‘Wala na bang iba? Wala na bang may kakayahan na pamunuan ang lungsod natin, hindi lang isang pamilya?”
‘Wait-and-see’
Political analysts and Lagunenses, for the most part, have adopted a “wait-and-see” approach to the new leaderships in Laguna province.
For many, it’s still too early to judge whether these candidates will hold true to their promises during the campaign, or whether they will just become another sad example of the corrupting effect of old politics that has, unfortunately, become the norm in the Philippine setting.
“Siguro after the first 100 days, diyan maglalabasan ang mga reaction ng ating mga kababayan, kung masaya ba sila o hindi sa naging kinalabasan ng halalan,” political analysts said.
“Kaya itong first 100 days ang pinaka-crucial na parte para sa mga LGU, dahil dito na nila ilalabas ang kanilang mga plataporma at programa – at dito na rin magkakaalaman kung sinsero ba talaga sila sa kanilang pamamahala.”