Why City Hall shouldn’t take Jun Capulot lightly

By Alex P. Vidal

“Never underestimate the capacity of another human being to have exactly the same shortcomings you have.” – Leigh Steinberg

WE aren’t saying that hard-hitting Iloilo broadcaster Jun Capulot is a “big threat” to the reelection bid of Iloilo City mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas.

Of course not.

In terms of organization, intellect, wealth, personality, educational attainment, experience in public service, mayoral candidate Capulot pales in comparison.

Since Capulot doesn’t belong to a known political party, we doubt if Treñas himself is taking the gutsy radioman seriously.

There are people in the city mayor’s circle who might think Capulot’s candidacy is a joke; therefore, it’s not worth paying attention to what he has been saying against the Treñas administration.

They think he is just another fly in the ointment, a “nuisance” candidate who doesn’t have the capability of mounting a city-wide campaign.

And because Capulot, in their thinking, has no political background, ergo, he has no right to instantly become city mayor.

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The basic principle in any political combat is to never underestimate your opponent.

Since the disparity between Treñas and Capulot is so glaring and nerve-tingling, we can’t blame the Treñas camp if they will ignore this principle and throw a monkey wrench on Capulot’s candidacy.

But the more they belittle Capulot, the more that he will be emboldened to step up his campaign and give the incumbent plenty of worries.

While Treñas appears to be “safe” from being dethroned, he may not be spared from the fusillades that would expose him to shame and humiliation, in one way or the other.

Capulot is not a mild and harmless Mel Carreon, who can never dent Treñas’ reputation in a one-on-one showdown.

Unlike Carreon who doesn’t verbally torture his adversaries (he had filed his candidacy for congressman, senator and even president in the past elections), Capulot is a tongue-lasher.

His job has been to torment and lash at public officials, among other ruffians and dolts in society, even before he became a mayoral candidate Capulot.

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Unlike Carreon, or any other “nuisance” bets in the local election for that matter, Capulot was active and regular broadcaster before he filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for city mayor in the May 9, 2022 election.

And he is battle-scarred, having sparred for 20 or more rounds against some of the most dangerous underworld heavyweights like the late suspected drug lord Melvin “Boyet” Odicta alyas Dragon and his deadly minions in the illegal drugs and other illegal activities, and emerged unscathed.

In other words, Capulot has cemented his reputation as having “feared no one” in his death-defying crusades.

And “he has nothing to lose, but always has everything to gain” since he isn’t really a career politician or somebody who needs to protect vast business and political empires.

Until today, he has no qualms in admitting he has no college degree and doesn’t own a piece of property, thus his opponents, political and otherwise, are clambering in utter confusion to locate his Achilles’ heel to smash him to smithereens.

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While dyed-in-the-wool politicians hire “blocktime” radio propagandists to smear their rivals during the election campaign, Capulot doesn’t need one as he himself can singlehandedly pull the trigger that would place a rival, in this case Treñas, in a difficult defensive mood.

In fact, even if Capulot doesn’t spend a single centavo for a “blocktime” program, he has been reportedly effective, so far, in lambasting the Treñas administration in his Facebook “live” commentaries that have generated thousands of viewers.

The “exposé” Capulot has unleashed in his bombastic Facebook tirades may not be enough to sink Treñas’ titanic, but, somehow, it will, in one way or the other, change the way some Ilonggos regard the city mayor in terms of invincibility and being “immaculate.”

Thus, even if Capulot can’t convince barangay officials and a large fraction of the electorate to rally behind him in his attempt to topple Treñas, he can reduce Treñas’ reelection win into a “Pyrrhic victory,” or an election success that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it will be tantamount to defeat.

A Pyrrhic victory, like an election win, will take a heavy toll that negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress.

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