Instead of seeking reelection, 5th district Rep. Ace Durano said he wanted to return to private life – but not without a last mission of helping Sen. Grace Poe and his close friend Sen. Chiz Escudero as their campaign manager under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Rep. Joseph “Ace” Durano, former tourism secretary, pulled a surprise on his family by saying he wasn’t running for any position next year.
Instead, he’s accepted the role of campaign manager of the youngest presidential ticket in town – Sen. Grace Poe and Sen. Chiz Escudero.
“Senator Grace and Senator Chiz asked me to help them in their campaign and slate, which I accepted,” confirmed the 5th district congressman who is provincial chairman of the National People’s Coalition (NPC).
A formal announcement will be made by the party soon.
The 45-year-old lawyer, once speculated to be the Durano clan’s bet shot at the Cebu governorship, didn’t bother to file a Certificate of Candidacy for any position when the deadline lapsed yesterday.
RED’S TURN
It was only last Wednesday when Ace told his family his final decision, reached after months of what he called long reflection that led him to examine “the hearts” of the top three presidential and vice presidential tickets and their capacity to lead.
This prompted elder brother Ramon “Red” Durano VI to file his COC for the 5th district congressional seat at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office of Cebu province yesterday morning.
From Red it was learned that Ace was out of the running – and into another kind of race for 2016.
“We had a meeting last Wednesday. Ace decided not to seek reelection, that’s why I filed now,” he told reporters.
All the while, said Red, the family’s game plan was to keep a status quo.
He would seek reelection as vice mayor of Danao City, Ace would go back to Congress and their father, Ramon “Nito” Durano III would run for mayor again.
With the sudden changes, their younger brother, Mix, will run for Danao city vice mayor.
WEIGHING QUALITIES
Ace, in an online interview, said it was a difficult decision to make.
He said he consulted his father, who is chairman of the local party Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud)and brother Red, the president, and got the support of both.
But Ace still needs to persuade local leaders including mayors in the rest of the party.
“I discussed my decision with my Dad, who is also the father of Bakud, before I finally decided. I would not do this if he did not support my decision. I have the support of my Dad and Red. I still have to work on getting the support of the chapter heads,” he added.
Ace said he took time weighing the strengths and capabilities of the three top tandems. He asked himself what criteria to use to differentiate the candidates.
“After reflecting on this question for several months, I realized that in the Bible God showed us how he chose his leaders. He chose not just based on appearance and capabilities but looked into the heart of the person.
“I see in Senator Grace the heart of a mother and wife. I see in Senator Chiz the heart of a single father that got broken but found new love. In short, they have a compassionate heart. For me, they have the right combination of heart and capability to lead the country. This made me decide to vote for them,” Ace explained.
For Ace, it will be a new relationship with the daughter of Fernando Poe Jr. He said he just met Poe two months ago. But he and Escudero started out together in Congress as neophyte lawmakers in 1998.
The two are close friends, confirmed Red.
Earlier this month, Poe and Escudero visited Cebu and flew by chopper to Danao City to introduce themselves and meet Bakud leaders.
It was pointed out that LP standard-bearer Mar Roxas, hasn’t done the same.
“Yes, we support his decision to be campaign manager of Senator Grace and Senator Chiz. But on a party level, we still need to work that out with our party mates,“ said Red. “We have to consult our leaders.”
The 5th district is composed of Danao City and ten towns, including island municipalities of Camotes Islands, with a total of 350,000 voters.
The Duranos have controlled Danao city and outlying areas since their patriarch Ramon “Mang Amon” Durnao cultivated a role as warlord of north Cebu in the 1950s as close ties with whoever was in power in Malacañang.
In the 2013 election, the Durano-led Bakud party forged an alliance with the Liberal Party, supporting President Aquino and assuring victory for Gov. Hilario Davide III and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale.
Red assured that Bakud would still support the LP province ticket of Davide and Magpale. Ace said the same.
Magpale, a Bakud member, is a member of the Durano clan and their aunt.
Ace denied that the Duranos and the Bakud party have agreed to support the gubernatorial bid of Winston Garcia of One Cebu, a possibility raised by Talisay Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante.
Villarante, who bolted the Liberal Party recently, is running for mayor in Talisay City under NPC. Ace said he already told Villarante that his CONA (Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance from NPC) was approved.
When Ace told the vice mayor that he was committed to the Davide-Magpale tandem in the province, he said Villarante declared he would only support Magpale but not Davide.
The antagonism stems from Governor Davide’s decision to support Talisay City Mayor JV delos Reyes who is seeking reelection.
Red confirmed that the Bakud party has not yet decided who to support for national positions.
“At the provincial level, we are supporting Gov. Davide and Vice Gov. Agnes,” he said.
Magpale’s youngest brother, Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, is a confidante of President Aquino.
Magpale said the alliance between LP and BAKUD at the local level is very strong.
“We had a meeting the other night and he informed me that he will not run. At the same time, he also reaffirmed his commitment for a BAKUD-LP partnership,” she told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview.