March 29, 2024

Bicol Express News

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Race heats up for Sorsogon governor post and its collateral

(L-R) Casiguran Mayor Edwin Hamor and Ex-Sorsogon City Mayor Sally Lee. Contributed photo

OPINION
by Bicol Express News

The vaunted machinery of Team ERHAP was expected to have an easy ride to claim the governorship of Sorsogon, not now, with the filing of Certificate of Candidacy of Sally Lee, Lee’s matriarch who was a former governor and a city mayor of Sorsogon.

The former governor is back-staffed by her husband Raul who for a long time was considered as kingmaker in Sorsogon politics but the controversial fertilizer scam involving him may become a guillotine for the family’s ambition to take back the provincial leadership.

While the Escudero Ramos Hamor Paguropod Team is fielding Casiguran Municipal Mayor Edwin Hamor whose credential as town executive is also unsurpassed transforming his third-class municipality into a boomtown anchored on tourism, social development, health, education, nutrition and small entrepreneurship programs.

The advantages of both camps are enormous, machinery wise, funds to roll, slate of candidates and both are popular to the voters.

For Sally Lee, she is better known as “Tia Sally,” a monicker of respect for motherly traits and Edwin Hamor is better known as “Boboy,” meaning a small man with a heavy punch.

Politically, the leaders of Hamor were once leaders of Lee but the butterflies went swarming to Hamor prior to the 2019 election cuddling more than fifty barangay chairmen to his wagon. Sally Lee lost the city to the Hamor’s.

But loyalty can be two-way, straight up and narrow down for self-interest. Both know that the mayor of today was once the mayor of Lee who now leans heavily to Hamor. That brings to mind a loyalty check. Both camps know the danger and one sees it as their advantage though “politics is a mix of strangers as bedfellows” even gripping
with funds may not be the answer of loyalty.

Lee might be a disadvantage for no one among them is holding an elective position. They finished in 2019 as non-winners compared to Hamor who took control of Sorsogon City not to mention their hold for almost twenty-one years of Casiguran. Hamor SK3 was born in the city, a program of social service but sarcastic as others say ‘Sarabay Kapierde an Tolo’.

The loyalist of Lee doesn’t consider them as “has been” saying that the family as a history in Sorsogon, from the father to the mother and the son who became governor and deep-rooted leaders are ready for the marching order but will face-off with the leaders of ERHAP.

As to the collateral damage, the filing of the candidacy of former governor Sally Lee brings to fore the reality of politics. Mayor Hamor will not remain passive creating a labyrinth of patronage for their anointed one to win their election. His congressional candidate in the second district will benefit the most.

Robert Rodrigueza’s bid in the second district has to surmount a hill to win. I Bicol Express News. All rights reserved. Copyright 2021