BACOLOD CITY — In the early 80s, there was a long running TV series, “Family Feud”, a contest between two sets of family members as to who could answer the questions better. It was not a quarrel.

Around that time too, there was an Academy Award winning movie, “Kramer vs. Kramer,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, a court room drama, packed with intense emotional outbursts, pathos, and deep-seated anger between estranged couple on the custody of a child who was at first a stranger to his father but later developed a closeness to him.

Nothing is so emotionally intense as a spat than a family quarrel.

None is also as emotionally intense as a fight in Bacolod politics today than what has been dubbed as the “Family Feud” or “The War of the Ramoses.”

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The other day a news item said Othello Ramos, a dismissed former city employee, charged in court Mayor Evelio Leonardia and other city officials. This is on the alleged dumpsite overprice purchase of the city.

Leonardia said Ramos is being used by Congressman Monico Puentevella in the latter’s drive to “harass the city administration because of his (Monico’s) desire to be Bacolod Mayor.”

The solon told media, “Ask the mayor his middle name” to show it’s the mayor’s relative charging him. The mayor answered, “My middle name is the same as his wife’s middle name” to show Othello could be the solon’s relative. He also denied that Othello is a relative.

The mayor is the son of Ester Ramos Leonardia while the solon’s wife (Josefa “Patching”) is the daughter of Hermilinda Ramos Dizon. Ester and Hermilinda are cousins and very close.

In this “War of the Ramoses” the bone of the contention – are they not like dogs fighting over a bone? – is the City Hall.

It is interesting, especially with the entry of Othello Ramos. I heard the solon is busy recruiting more Ramoses and trying to win back brother-in-law Rudy Ramos Dizon and cousin-in-law Ed Villanueva in addition to winning back Alex Paglomutan and the Voltes Five who used to be his closest allies.

It looks like the Bacolod mayorship will be decided by the Ramos families.

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The drive to capture City Hall at this point in time can be said to be in the opinion building stage, the battle ground being the media.

The Mayor has turned out to be a builder: Bacolod City College, Government Center, Slaughter House, and now the Dumpsite. But the solon has somewhat succeeded in destroying this image by leveling all kinds of charges in trying to show the mayor and the people around him are corrupt.

The mayor may not like to hear this but if these continue and not deflected successfully, 2010 may not be his. People believe more the attacks than the defenses. The attacks create a cloud of doubt.

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In politics, it is said, when you are behind, attack, attack, and attack. And if you are ahead, don’t be confident. Attack still.

In politics, as in all fights, the best defense is offense.

In this “War of the Ramoses” the solon is scoring points in making the mayor and his officials appear corrupt. And defensive. The COA report and other defenses are considered as mere alibis. Try to ask ordinary citizens in the streets and you will find out that the attacks have left a cloud of doubt, if not believed.

In a country known all over the world as the most corrupt, a little hint of corruption is believed to be true. More so when there are charges in court, even if they are proven later to be not true.

The solution is the one attacked must press a much stronger counter attack.

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The mayor has not successfully mounted a counter attack on the solon. He has not asked the solon to tell people about the solon’s projects and explain where did his P490 million pork barrel for 7 years go.

He also has not pressed the solon to explain to the people the alleged computer scam and the P5 million fertilizer fund.

The solon will have no more time to attack if his time is spent on answering the charges pressed consistently. But most likely the solon will ignore them. The solon has done it already, ignore the charges while concentrating on his attacks. And the mayor did not have follow-ups.

The mayor has answered the charges but, as I said, they are taken as mere alibis.

The solon, if charged consistently, and without letup like the way he mounts his own attacks, will be forced to answer. Otherwise, the public will take the charges as true.

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All these exposes on corruption are good for the public. We need these. We can check corruption better through transparency. And adversaries in the election are best sources for these exposes.

This depends on the respective media group. The solon looks like he has an effective and aggressive media group. I doubt that the mayor has. I very seldom go to City Hall.

Over-confidence has killed many a cat. The mayor is very confident of his being ahead now. He does not have to be reminded of the 1998 election debacle where he was perceived to be quite far ahead.

Then the underestimated Oscar Verdeflor came from behind to win the mayorship on election day. You don’t underestimate Monico Puentevella.

In this “War of the Ramoses”, how will the Ramos families go?

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