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Jala’s withdrawal only points to one conclusion: he has miserably failed to build a legacy of good deeds for his constituents

Rep. Eladio Jala, who is on a hiatus after his son grabbed his father’s congressional seat, has been reported he would back out of the 2010 congressional race in the Third District of our province.

Granting Jala would really abort his political ambitions, quitting is not a sign of weakness, but an ugly political implication of his withdrawal is a bad symptom of a dying reputation.

Who is Arthur Yap, the Agriculture Secretary, that Eladio Jala is afraid of? Known to many, Yap is just an intruder in the political landscape of our province. If language is an in issue, Jala is more fluent in Bisaya than Yap, who is to learn yet the nuances of our language here. If residency is an issue, Jala lives more years in Bohol than Yap does. If party is an issue, Jala is not a stranger in Malacañang, albeit Yap may be the kitchen’s mayor-domo.

But if money is an issue, of course, no doubt, Yap’s armory of cash will certainly drown Jala’s treasure box.

Months before the filing of certificate of candidacy, Yap has been acting as the World Bank to all barangays in the third district. Yap’s generous act has turned the hearts of barangay captains as soft as cotton candy, all for the love of Arthur Yap, the new granddaddy of financial windfall for the villages in the Third District.

This is something that Jala cannot possibly do for his constituents. He cannot match Yap’s financial armada. To the eyes of town officials, Yap is on a cruise chip while Jala is still on a baroto.

For the town officials (mayors and barangay captains), it is hard, definitely hard, to ignore Yap’s kindness. Are these town officials local to the Jalas that they won’t allow themselves to be prostituted by Yap’s smiling cash? Not at all. Where the money is, there you find the festivity. And Jala has become an outsider of that festivity.

But wait. Isn’t Eladio Jala the congressman of our province’s third district for 9 years? Yes, he ruled the third district that long. Didn’t his son succeed his throne in 2007? Yes, Eladio Jala’s son, Adam, dethroned his father. With a polite arrangement, of course.

All in all, the Jalas have ruled in the third district for the last 12 years. Within that period, are we going to assume that the Jalas have cemented their legacy? Have the Jalas won the complete admiration and loyalty of their constituents in the third district? Have they done something unforgettable, memorable to the minds of Boholanos in the Third District? This time, we need a list of projects to vouch their legacy.

Let’s say that the answer to our questions are both a resounding YES. Then, why is Eladio Jala afraid of Arthur Yap? Jala is the reigning champion while Yap is just a new comer, a challenger. Here comes the irony. In the field of boxing, a reigning champion is never scared of a challenger.

Beyond eulogizing Eladio Jala’s political dream, I should say it is an absolute shame for the good congressman to withdraw from the race next year. Not only is it a shame, a Jala withdrawal is also preposterous.

Eladio Jala should remember that there is a more serious implication in the event he withdraws his plan. It only means that Jala has confirmed that he is no longer loved by the people in the Third District of our province. Because if Jala is still the sweetheart of the Third District, the people would always go for him, no matter what.

It now seems that the last 12 years of Jalas’ dominion in the Third District is a political joke.

Jala’s withdrawal only points to one conclusion: he has miserably failed to build a legacy of good deeds for his constituents.