Dynastic move

Tragedy makes for good optics, if you’re shameless enough to exploit it.

A recent calamity in a Visayan city handed a mayor’s son the kind of camera time money can’t buy, and Nosy Tarsee’s source says the kid is milking it for all it’s worth, eyes already on 2028.

“As you can see sa mga Facebook posts, makikita ang isang anak ng mayor na nakikiramay sa mga naulila ng isang insidente. Halatang-halata na ginu-groom na siya bilang kapalit ng tatay. Nakakadiring galawan at sinasamantala ang pagkakataon para mapitikan ng camera ng national at international news. Nakakahiya!” the source told Nosy Tarsee.

(As seen on Facebook, one of the mayor’s children is offering condolences to the victims’ families. It is obvious he is being groomed to succeed his father. Such a distasteful maneuver — exploiting a tragedy to be photographed by national and international media. Shameful!)

A grief tour doubling as a soft launch. Subtle.

But the dynasty’s troubles aren’t just political — they’re personal. The source says the mayor’s marriage has quietly collapsed and the rumor mill has long caught up.

“Hiwalay na talaga sila ni (blank) at hindi na sya inuuwian. May bago na syang jowa, batang-bata (He and [blank]have indeed separated and he no longer goes home to her. He has a new girlfriend, someone much younger),” the source said.

The estranged wife, a former sexy star who kept the mayor’s seat warm for one term during her husband’s “break,” isn’t just out of the house. She may be out of the dynasty’s calculations entirely as the son angles to be next in line.

But that line may not survive the decade. A relative of the family filed the anti-dynasty bill, now threatening the clan’s grip on the city, proof that sometimes the fiercest opposition comes from within the bloodline.