If there’s ever going to be a real “Battle of the Brains” in Laguna province this coming 2025 midterm elections, it should be in the race for governor of the province.
The reason: all four contenders for the highest position in the province are legislators: three current and one former.
We’re speaking of two incumbent representatives to Congress – Santa Rosa City Representative Dan Fernandez and Laguna 2nd District Representative Ruth Mariano-Hernandez – as well as Vice Governor Karen Agapay, who also serves as the presiding officer of the Laguna Provincial Board (Sangguniang Panlalawigan), and former 3rd District Representative Sol Aragones.
The fact that all four candidates for Laguna’s gubernatorial race are lawmakers presents an ideal opportunity for voters to really gauge the performance of these candidates, according to political analysts.
Media mileage
So far, the candidate getting the most “media mileage” points is Santa Rosa City Representative Dan Fernandez, who’s been very much present in the recent House hearings.
Fernandez is one of the co-chairpersons of the House Quad Committee (commonly known as “QuadCom”), being the chairperson of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety.
The House Quad Committee, to recall, has been leading investigations “in aid of legislation” in high-profile cases such as that of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her alleged links to Chinese-led Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), as well as into the extrajudicial killings committed during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
And the Santa Rosa City Representative has used his position to gain more attention among Lagunenses, as evidenced by his frequent press releases and presence during the hearings.
Desperado?
However, political analysts observing the situation noted that Fernandez’s frequent appearance at the House Quadcom hearings may indicate the lawmaker’s “desperation” to woo voters.
Another sign of that desperation, one political analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity to OpinYon Laguna, is the reported proliferation of tarpaulins bearing his name (and that of his running mate, San Pablo City “First Lady” Gem Castillo), in various parts of the province.
Some analysts suspect that Fernandez’s “star power” may be declining in the wake of the more popular support given to the three other main contenders of the race.
“Mas may advantage, for instance, si Rep. Ruth Hernandez – hindi lang dahil asawa siya ng incumbent na si Governor Ramil Hernandez, pero dahil sa napansin namin na mas nakakahatak siya ng masa dahil sa kanyang personalidad,” OpinYon Laguna’s resident analyst pointed out.
Performance
But personality and media mileage aside, a quick check by the OpinYon research team points out that, overall, Hernandez may have an edge when it comes to performance as legislator.
In her three terms as representative of Laguna’s 2nd District, Hernandez has filed a total of 523 legislative bills (348 principally authored, 175 co-authored).
By contrast, Santa Rosa City Representative Fernandez (who, may we point out, also served as representative of Laguna’s 1st district before the City of Santa Rosa got its own seat in 2022), has filed just 160 legislative bills (125 principally authored, 35 co-authored).
Background check
Analysts note that it’s often the “underperforming” members of the House of Representatives who are bound to make the most “noise” – that is, issuing more press releases and being present at the camera more often.
The problem, others lamented, is that Filipino voters see their legislators as mere “cash cows” whom they can get financial assistance from (remember that now-viral video from a Bicol representative showing his staff on a boat, handing out cash to a resident affected by typhoon “Kristine” in Camarines Sur?).
As a result, they tend to forget that the legislator’s primary job is to pass laws that will benefit not just their districts but the entire country as well.
“Voters should do a background check, especially if the candidate is a former or incumbent legislator,” OpinYon Laguna’s resident analyst advised.
“Beyond all the media appearances and the frequent press releases, voters should look at whether our legislators are doing their job. And what’s their job? Magpasa ng batas. Sa mga batas na ipinapasa nila makikita kung sino ang tunay na may hangad na maglingkod sa bayan o nais lang pumapel.”
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