The appointment of Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez as the new Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will leave a vacuum in the third district with nine months left till the next election.
But I am happy for Cong. Kiko as I know this appointment will ignite his passion for education and expand his initiatives like digital transformation beyond the third district and Negros to the entire country.
I got to sit down with Cong Kiko a few weeks back when he guested at the induction of the Rotary Club of Silay. At that time, the TESDA position was already being talked about after several endorsements from education and civic groups named him as a potential new chief for the agency.
You could an see he was excited with the idea and when he did not get the DepEd position which he was also considered for, I wished then that he would get TESDA as we talked about his ideas of growing vocational courses in the country to provide skills that will make students who do not have the opportunity to get college education, at least employable post high school.
His ascension to a national post will be a loss to the third district where he still has one term left, but a gain to our educational system which really needs reforms that he is very much adept in implementing.
His appointment is not just political in nature because his expertise when it comes to education is unquestionable having served as president of Philippine Women’s University before joining his older brother, Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez, in politics.
When he was introduced at the RC Silay induction, it was a long list of educational attainments among which is a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a summa cum laude B.A. from Cornell University as well as teaching positions at the University of Washington-Seattle.
But where does that leave the third district without representation in the next nine months?
Cong Kiko said in cases like these, it’s usually the Speaker of the House, in this case, Martin Romualdez, who will act as caretaker of the third district.
But Cong Kiko said he will propose to Speaker Romualdez to make Abang Lingkod Rep. Stephen “Caraps” Paduano as the caretaker instead if this is possible. After all, Caraps have worked alongside with the Benitez and will surely be capable of fulfilling the tasks and commitments left behind by the new TESDA chief.
But will Caraps be able to handle the political upheavals in the third district with Cong Kiko gone? And there are many mind you.
According to Cong Kiko, his nephew, Victorias Mayor Javi Benitez might be a shoo-in for his vacated post in the next election and personally I think Mayor Javi will perform well in Congress where his not-so-traditional style of politics will be an asset.
But then again, where does that leave Victorias City? Under Mayor Javi’s leadership we’ve seen the growth of Victorias. He has infused a breath of freshness and introduced modernized governance for which he has been admired.
Vice-Mayor JunB Bantug is the likely candidate to be pushed for Mayor in the coming polls but will he be able to sustain the initiatives made by Mayor Javi? I guess so since he has worked hand in hand with the mayor and will already know what directions to take when he gets lucky in the polls.
But while it may be hard to see someone running against Javi for the mayoralty post come 2025, JunB may likely see some competition and will need to work harder and craft his own name with just nine months left.
For the other towns and cities in the third district, will Cong Caraps be able to manage the race there? We have already confirmed that Rowena Lopez Lizares will replace her husband, Talisay Mayor Neil Lizares in the next elections. But while the Lizares couple has the upper hand as they are the current administration, we are hearing seasoned politicians who may come out to challenge Rowena.
Silay will also see a showdown with the comeback of former Mayor Mark Golez in tandem with Councilor Ryan Gamboa as his running mate against the line-up of sitting Mayor Joedith Gallego.
The administration of EB Magalona is already working to field Mayor Marvin Malacon’s son, Matthew to replace him. Right now, everything is quiet in that town but it will not be surprising if we will also see former politicians resurface to challenge the younger Malacon.
If Romualdez will take on the caretaker role, as part of the administration alliance, those under Cong Kiko’s line-up for the 2025 election may have an edge over their opponents. If Caraps become the caretaker instead, while the third district is not new to him, I am pretty sure the hands of the Benitez will still be there to guide him.
There are several areas in Negros Occidental that will be interesting to watch come 2025 and with this new development in the third district it is definitely one area that will heat up in the coming months.*