Will ‘Richard the Lionheart’ deliver?

By Alex P. Vidal

“We shall never change our political leaders until we change the people who elect them.”— Mark Skousen

EVERY political pundit will now be watching with awe and avidity if “Richard the Lionheart” will be able to sustain and rev up the dominant political empire his late father Oca had built in the first district of Iloilo, possibly “on the brink” of being shredded like ribbons now that the grand old man is gone.

Being the only male in the Garin political lineup, much is expected of “Richard the Lionheart,” especially now that the May 9, 2022 election is fast approaching.

Will he be able to protect through his own charm and direction, as what his late father Oca had done, the seven municipalities—Guimbal, Oton, Tigbauan, Tubungan, Miag-ao, Igbaras, San Joaquin—from the challenges to be mounted by those who think now is the right time to storm the Bastille?

For sure, the clan’s political rivals are now sharpening their knives for a possible attempt to take over some of the municipalities, as mentioned earlier in the belief that there’s a gnawing leadership vacuum following father Oca’s sudden demise on September 26 due to reportedly Covid-19.

Some of the clan’s political rivals, who dreaded standing toe to toe against the late patriarch, might now be emboldened to file their Certificates of Candidacy (COC) and convince themselves that they can hack out a major upset in the coming election, a dream many of them had longed for in the past 30 years.

 

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Before his death, there were fears from the clan’s political adversaries all over the province the late father Oca’s influence and machineries had branched out beyond the first district of Iloilo.

If given the latitude and additional time and resources, the Garin clan’s fortresses could expand and grow and the clan’s political opponents would find it more daunting to wage a battle against the family during and beyond election 2022.

With father Oca’s unexpected death eight months before the forthcoming poll, the clan’s political rivals may have found the perfect opportunity to regroup, reenergize, and frenziedly marshal their forces like they are about to be deployed in the Punic Wars, a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and Ancient Carthage.

 

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WE are glad that New York hospitals on September 27 began firing or suspending healthcare workers who defied state order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, even as resulting staff shortages prompted some hospitals to postpone elective surgeries or curtail services.

It’s long overdue. It should have been done earlier, or when Covid-19 deaths and cases did not reach an alarming stage.

With the pandemic already more than a year and millions have perished worldwide, what more do these anti-vaccine characters want to hear and learn from health experts in particular and medical science in general?

The news came out after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city’s hospitals were not yet seeing a major impact from the mandate, adding he worried about other areas of the state where vaccination rates are lower.

According to Reuters, a spokeswoman for Catholic Health, one of the largest healthcare providers in Western New York, said it had reached full compliance, counting staff members who had been vaccinated, those with exemptions and some who had been suspended without pay.

New York’s state health department reportedly issued an order last month mandating that all healthcare workers receive at least their first COVID-19 shot by Sept. 27, triggering a rush by hospitals to get their employees inoculated.

Of the 43,000 employees at New York City’s 11 public hospitals, about 5,000 were not vaccinated, Dr. Mitchell Katz, head of NYC Health + Hospitals, said at the news conference with de Blasio.

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