Nosy Tarsee noticed the headcount when a certain solon convened 16 town mayors from his home province, plus three vice mayors, days after his birthday, which appears to have been done as a 2028 roadmap ritual.

The honorable member of Congress packaged the event neatly as a “budget consultation,” wrapped in the warmth of a personal celebration. But to any keen political kibitzer, it looked very much like something else: a governor-in-waiting quietly taking stock of his LGU allies as talk of succession becomes inevitable.

He would be fortunate to complete his term through 2028 without serious political fallout from what critics describe as persistent governance failures.

Yet, the veteran of many political skirmishes is said to be facing an almost-finalized plunder case before the anti-graft court involving nearly a billion pesos in questionable flood control projects.

The allegations tie directly to the lived reality of his own province’s flood-prone communities, low-lying, subsidence-hit areas that serve as catch basins for waters spilling from neighboring provinces.

Engineers once linked to the controversy have since recanted their statements. The illustrious figure calls the whole thing a “setup.”

Still, questions linger. Many think the only way he squeaked himself out of the same predicament now facing two other well-known names was his timely decision to break off from the opposition bloc that pulled off a chamber leadership coup earlier this year.

Also cringeworthy is his hiding behind the line, “accountability solely to God,” delivered in a religious assembly. It is a statement that raises more eyebrows than it resolves, especially when set against unresolved public accountability issues.

Memories of past controversies also refuse to fade entirely. There was a decade-old issue involving a P10-million pork allocation reportedly funneled to a dubious nongovernment organization for a questionable livelihood project.

Didn’t the Ombudsman back then sniff out grave misconduct that the chamber shielded through its own rules? The details may now be hazy, but the pattern they suggest remains troubling.

Ultimately, we wonder whether every town mayor who showed up with a gift and a smile at the invitation is ready to endorse his brand of public service.

His province deserves more than symbolism and political choreography. It needs leaders who will confront the root causes of its worsening floods, not officials who spend term after term explaining why they are not to blame.