Let’s preface this with the obvious: bungol ako, I do not know enough about Benguet politics to actually have any educated input on this matter. The Yap thing.
I just really, really find it entertaining.
Let’s approach this matter in the way it should not be, a la celebrity drama which, for once, I feel comfortable doing because I believe I can trust your intellect if you’re reading this paper and also because just a few columns over, we have two writers discussing this matter on both sides with great analysis and seriousness. I can’t contribute those, so I’ll contribute levity.
From an outsider looking in, it is fascinating to see someone slapped with seven different disqualification charges, all with differing casus belli.
My personal disagreements with Yap as a voter aside (because now of all times is the time to be objective), the cases are serious allegations. Violations of electoral law, ineligibility to assume office due to citizenship matters, and vote buying. Nasty, nasty stuff (allegedly).
The Commission on Elections has essentially forced these players in a little playpen in timeout and told them to figure it out with the declaration that in the case of a continued non-proclamation by the 30th, the seat just becomes vacant. No one gets the toys if they don’t play nice.
Fitting and also really funny that Yap is now at risk of leaving the seat empty by vacancy for a caretaker to take over, when similar circumstances led to this point in the first place when he got assigned as caretaker to fill the vacancy. Ah, I love full circles.
So, what now? For the next month or so, Benguet is trapped in the void where no one can win or lose. An Escher painting. Limbo.
Resolution requires one of two things: either one side backs down, or the law resolves all the cases. Now, considering Yap somehow managed to get seven different other sides to fight him in court, it is statistically more likely that he grows a third eye than all seven back down within thirty days and withdraw their cases.
This leaves the other option of resolving everything by way of law. We can say many things about the law of this land from many different sides, but really, one thing we can all agree on is that for all its merits and flaws, the judiciary is exceedingly slow.
Thirty days is very unlikely to be enough time to resolve seven separate disqualification cases, and I have the sneaking suspicion that this was the plan all along. The master stroke. The equivalent of a glue-eating child just refusing to move the game forward, so the clock runs out.
With that, I am willing to make a silly wager of no consequence: The post will be left vacant come the 30th via time out. If I fail, well, I’ll think of an appropriately insignificant penalty for myself.
