The Philippines continues to be under a medical emergency. Just a week ago, before our latest status, Negros Oriental was placed under Alert Level 4. This made us among the last provinces to be taken off the critical status list, reflective of the way in which we handled the pandemic locally.
With the emergence of still another CoViD variant, Omicron, originating from African countries, it appears that medical issues will continue to dominate the country’s attention in the coming years.
In the last two years of living with the pandemic, we have also come to realize how closely-related addressing the pandemic is to the state of our economic situation.
With quarantines and lockdowns, we saw for ourselves, up close and personal, how sadly the poor suffered, and how badly the rest of us were inconvenienced.
Affecting the way our Province has responded to the pandemic is the fierce and bitter political rivalry between Gov. Roel Degamo and Cong. Arnie Teves with his brother, Bayawan City Mayor Pryde Henry Teves.
Their rivalry has seriously affected the peace and order in Negros Oriental. The direction our Province takes in the next three years will depend on our choice of leaders in the May 2022 elections.
Presenting themselves for the people’s mandate are Gov. Roel Degamo, Vice Gov. Mark Macias, and Bayawan Mayor Henry Teves.
Degamo is an engineer, a graduate of Silliman University. He is a three-term governor of the Province. By all surveys, he appears to be the run-away favorite.
However, impediments stand in the way of the Governor getting re-elected. It appears there is a pending petition to cancel his Certificate of Candidacy.
We learn from that the petition filed before the Commission on Elections argued that Degamo committed a misrepresentation in his COC, which said “I am eligible for the office I seek to be elected to.” Degamo is running for a fourth term in office, something proscribed by law.
Ging Dayupay, a registered voter, asserted in his petition that Degamo’s COC should be canceled because of such a “material misrepresentation” in his CoC.
In justification of his right to a fourth term, Degamo cited a Supreme Court ruling allowing a Camarines Norte Governor to serve his fourth consecutive term due to suspensions and dismissals (“interruptions in service”) during his years in office.
In 2016 and 2017, Degamo briefly left his post, after separate Ombudsman decisions dismissed him from office due to alleged misuse of public funds. He successfully secured temporary restraining orders from the Court of Appeals, resulting in his eventual reinstatement in office.
In the CA ruling in 2016, he was only liable for simple misconduct in 2012. While he was suspended for six months, it was no longer imposed due to the condonation doctrine.
The condonation doctrine states that an elective public official charged of an offense is deemed condoned by the people if he gets re-elected in the succeeding election. Thus, it meant that Degamo, reelected in 2016, may not be removed from office for administrative misconduct which he committed during his first term.
The petition insists that it was clear Degamo had served his three consecutive terms “fully and without interruption” because the appellate court issued status quo ante orders in Degamo’s two Ombudsman cases.
Petitioner Dayupay argued that the status quo ante orders reinstated Degamo’s status as governor before the filing of the case “as if he [has] never been dismissed or stripped of his title by the two Ombudsman orders dismissing him from office.”
“By actively seeking status quo ante orders to undo the effects of his dismissal, Degamo is now barred from claiming ‘interruption’ from his thwarted dismissals”.
The second person seeking to become governor is incumbent Vice Gov. Mark Macias II. Vice Governor Macias is a practicing physician, a graduate of the UP College of Medicine. His field of specialization is in Orthopedic Surgery.
Dr. Macias comes from a long line of public servants in the Province. His grandfather, Lamberto, was a long-time congressman in the then-2nd District, representing Southern Negros Oriental, which still included the subprovince of Siquijor. Lamberto was followed by Dr. Emilio “Dodo” Macias II, who first served Negros Oriental as vice-governor, governor, congressman of the 2nd District, and governor, successively.
The Macias legacy of public service is being carried on by the two sons of Dodo: Vice Gov. Mark Macias II running for Governor as a Liberal under Leni Robredo, and Board Member Erwin Macias, running for Vice Governor as NPC under Ping Lacson.
Our third candidate is Pryde Henry Teves, mayor of Bayawan. Henry is a businessman, educated at the University of the Philippines and at De La Salle University. He is a former congressman representing the 3rd District of Negros Oriental. He traces his political heritage to the late Herminio “Miniong” G. Teves, former governor and congressman.
Given these three aspirants, the people of Negros Oriental are fortunate to have very well-qualified candidates to choose from. Who should we choose? The answer lies in what you believe ails our dear province of Negros Oriental!
“And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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