We are only on a garden leave. Politics is still very much in our minds. Had dinner Tuesday night with former Congressman/Mayor Carmelo ‘Tarzan’ Lazatin in an Italian restaurant at Marquee and for the first time time we didn’t talk about women but the more than two hours focused only about politics.
Tarzan Lazatin first plunged into politics was in 1980 and joined the mayoral race which the late Francisco G. Nepomuceno won. It was only in 1987 when he tasted his first victory when he bested more than ten runners in that year’s congressional race. I was also in that competition. And in 1988 I was a last minute choice of the late Antonio Abad Santos to complete his ten-man council slate. I placed number four. Ed Pamintuan run successfully in tandem with Abad Santos. He became our presiding officer.
In the recent elections, I placed number 11 and ‘thank you’ for my two nephews who somehow affected my getting into the winning column. Me and Lazatin, like Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao are not yet ready to hang our political gloves. Lazatin has his eyes moist in retaking city hall, and may use as platform him being chairman of the oversized Barangay Balibago, in case he will win the local poll in October next year. Same thing with Pamintuan who may run for congress in 2019. That has been his dream job. Not retiring yet, that’s why the garden leave.
It’s the same thing for Alex Caugiran. He was recently appointed to head a most challenging job as president of the Clark International Airport Corporation. In last year elections, Caugiran planned to run for the Angeles City vice mayoral race but sidelined his dream for party unity. He is now being groomed for the post that his political partner Edpam will vacate, and that’s being head honcho at the city hall.
What about the two gentle ladies of Angeles City politics? Vicky Vega Cabigting and Maricel ‘Marang’Morales are still young in years and are still both passionate about public service. But I can’t predict what possible political positions they will trek in the next hustings. What I know they won’t stay home babysitting.
