Joe III: Leave me alone

By Alex P. Vidal

“I restore myself when I’m alone.” —Marilyn Monroe

ATTY. Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III, the former Iloilo City mayor who had a short-lived stint in the city hall, appears to have no more appetite in dipping his fingers into local politics.

Espinosa III blamed heavily his brother-in-law, Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas, for his heartbreaking lopsided loss to Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda in the May 9, 2022 congressional election.

It was a career-defining defeat at the hands of the younger Baronda whom he comfortably walloped for Iloilo City vice mayor in 2010.

If Espinosa III wasn’t at odds with Treñas in 2022, a head-on collision with Baronda would have been averted; or, if Treñas was on his side and the clash against Baronda was inevitable, it would have been a different result, or so it seemed.

In succumbing to Baronda in 2022, Espinosa III, who used to pile up win after win in a jaunty and buoyant political career, didn’t know what hit him.

The figures were so scary to contend with: National Unity Party’s (NUP) Baronda collected 147,834 votes as against 84,168 votes for Nacionalista Party’s (NP) Espinosa III.

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It was a bitter pill to swallow for the once inextinguishable Espinosa III, who incurred back-to-back defeats following a 2022 debacle where he was ousted in the mayoralty race by the supposed to be regressing Treñas, who garnered 134,143 votes against Espinosa III’s 65,724 votes.

Espinosa III’s shocking 2019 election rivalry versus Treñas was a head-turning event; it was totally unexpected by both their supporters and family members who considered them to be inseparable in as far as politics was concerned.

Espinosa III, who “inherited” the mayorship from the then embattled Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog (who was forced to flee outside the country for fear of his life after being threatened by then President Rodrigo Duterte), needed a fresh mandate to complete a separate full three-year term when he was poleaxed by Treñas.

The loss was devastating. Espinosa III felt like his momentous date with history was disastrously taken away from him in nihilistic fashion by the very person, a relative to boot, who was supposed to stand side by side with him on his way to political immortality.

But fate had its own course. United they would have stood together. Divided they are (now) falling one after another.

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Hoping he could still revive his splendid glory scuppered by his contentious defeat to Treñas, Espinosa III tried to snatch away Baronda’s congressional post with pride and existential forbearance only to be badly clobbered the second time around in three years.

Unable to come to terms, Espinosa III must’ve told himself and his family “enough is enough.” Once is shocking. Twice is unsettling.

Will he interfere in the 2025 midterm elections and take sides in the ongoing tumult that has bedeviled the erstwhile teammates, Treñas and Baronda, who are both his conquerors?

According to some pundits and political observers who regularly hobnobbed with Espinosa III in the coffeeshops, so far, Espinosa’s body language and attitude showed he was adamant to openly declare who to support in the local positions.

His relationship with the Treñas father has remained frosty but not with niece, Raisa, a rumored official candidate for the post of the city’s lone congressional district against Baronda in the 2025 election.

In truth and reality, Espinosa III still apparently continues to lick his political wounds five years after being trounced in the mayoral race, and two years since Baronda scalped him.

Which is probably enough reason for him to tell all and sundry soliciting his political stand to “just leave me alone” especially if the emotional and mental restorations and rehabilitation are still going on.

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KAHIDLAW SA BUTONG-BUTONG

(Ikan-um, 0006, nga binalaybay sa serye nga Kahidlaw ni Ambassador Leo Tito L. Ausan, Jr. sa isa ka maulanon nga aga, sa ika-12 sang Hulyo, 2024, sa Dhaka, Bangladesh.)

I

Sang ako bata pa nga lampukon,

Uyon ko na gid magkaon sang butong-butong,

Sa tagsa ka adlaw, pagkatapos sang pagpanyapon,

Inang sahi bala nga nagaunat-unat kon pagakaunon,

Nanamitan gid ako nga ini sa akon baba bilug-bilugon, kag sa pagpadayun, ligun-ligunon,

Samtang nagapatuyo, kag sa akon Mahal nga Iloy

Nagapangayutong….

Maathag pa kayo nga madumduman nakon,

Nga sa sini nga situwasyon sang akon iloy ako ang pukawon,

Kay indi siya maluyag, nga magtulog ako sang dayon,

Nga wala maka sepilyo sang akon mga ngipon.

II

Sa subong sini, nga ako,

Ang sang aton pungsod sa luwas,

Ambassador na kag tiglawas,

Sa tagsa ka kagab-ihon,

Pagkatapos, nga makapanyapon,

Yadtong tion, kaupod sang akon iloy kag sang butong-butong akon pa ginahandum,

Sa dakung kahidlaw ko sa butong-butong,

Ako ang ginabahulay kag ginapamalhas,

Nga nagalikup kag  sa akon balatyagon naga-kawas,

Ano abi kay kon sa diin ako nahamtang sa subong,

Bisan tuman kadamu sang tindahan, nga daw sa balas,

Wala gid sang marus-aros nga mascuvado nga kalamay,

Nga mahimo baklon, ang amon mapisan nga kabulig sa iya paglibot kag pag pangita nga ginpamalhas,

III

Kay kuntani, may ara lang,

Ining akon kahidlaw sa gaunat-unat nga butong-butong,

Indi daku nga libug kag matambalan sang gilayon,

Kay makahibalo man magluto kag magbuhat sa amon puluy-an sang nagaunat-unat  nga butong-butong,

Si Agnes, ang akon pinalangga nga tiayon.

Nga sang Mahal nga Makaako, ginbugay sa akon!

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)