Who’s next in line?

Who will be the successor of Mayor Duterte?

Mayor Duterte himself is vocal about it although he sometimes shies away from talking about who he thinks will be the future mayor of Davao City. Since he is barred from running for another term as city mayor, he wants his daughter and incumbent Vice Mayor, Inday Sara, to replace him. But it won’t be that easy, since Speaker Prospero Nograles is seen as a tough contender to the position. Yet it’s not for the Dutertes or the Nograleses to decide who will be the next mayor of Davao City. Rather, it’s the Davaoeños who will decide in the end.

The May 2010 election is still a year away, but already some Davaoeños have made up their minds. Sometime in December last year, a local TV network ran an informal survey on who would the Davaoeños vote for as mayor this coming election. Not surprisingly, one name was always mentioned—Inday Sara. Why? Because Inday Sara, the respondents said, is the daughter of Mayor Duterte, and Mayor Duterte has been and is a good leader of Davao City. So Inday Sara will make a good mayor, because her father is a good mayor.

There’s the rub. The reason for their choice is actually a case of fallacy of honor by association. Very simply, it says that “someone or something must be reputable because of the people or organizations that are related to it or otherwise support it.”

True, under Mayor Duterte’s watch, Davao City becomes a progressive city. Davao City is also insulated from terrorist attacks—except for the bombings at the Sasa Wharf and Davao Airport—that have often plagued its neighbors. But just because Mayor Duterte has achieved so remarkable a feat, doesn’t mean that Inday Sara, were she to become the Mayor of Davao City, will achieve the same.

Nevertheless, Davaoeños can still opt for Inday Sara, if only the 2010 mayoralty race would be a tossup between her and Speaker Prospero Nograles.

Those who would vote for Inday Sara may strike anyone as naïve. For in election, the rule of thumb is to choose the more experienced over the inexperienced. But it does not particularly apply here. Voting for the inexperienced Inday Sara over the experienced Speaker Nograles may not be the better choice, but it is the only choice.

The experienced Speaker Nograles leads the House badly. His leadership is far from satisfactory. “With so many urgent matters to attend to,” The Philippine Star editorial noted, “the top priority in the agenda of Prospero Nograles’ House of Representatives is still Charter change.”

As a House Speaker of the House, he can’t seem to goad the Representatives under him to get their priorities right. So how else will he fare were he to lead this city?

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