“I’m only here for three years. I don’t desire to be re-elected as governor because God gave me three years. And for me, I will only look at the three years and will not have ambitions of being re-elected. Because the moment I do that is where corruption will come into the mind of the person. Greed will come in. Because you will be thinking of how you will be re-elected. Now, I can face anybody. Those who criticize me, I can tell them, because they always threaten me: we will no longer vote for you. Who cares? I’m not running anyway. But I’ll do what is right. And I don’t care about your vote because I’ll do what is right for this province.”
So went Governor Patrick Alain T. Azanza’s shock (to some) but expected (to many) declaration near the end of his extemporaneous message at the 2026 Catanduanes Tourism Recognition for Enterprises and Stakeholders last week.
Naturally, some of his opponents were quick to brand the chief executive as a political lame duck.
Is he really a lame duck because he is not seeking reelection and thus holds diminished power and influence?
As defined, the term carries with it implications of reduced effectiveness and political clout as it can severely limit the ability of the official to get things done.
But freed from the necessity of courting the electorate, the lame duck official may actually enjoy the reduced accountability, freeing him from political constraints and allowing him to take actions without the usual repercussions.
Researcher Guillermo Toral of IE University based in Madrid, Spain writes that discussions about post-administration politics often overlook a crucial phase – the lame-duck period.
“Outgoing governments are neither powerless (as the image of the “lame duck” would have us believe) nor short-lived,” he posits.
He states that unlike during the campaign, lame ducks face no uncertainty about their political fate; they know that their exit from office is imminent.
“With public and media attention shifting to the winners, lame ducks focus on their own interests, often at the expense of good governance, the smooth functioning of government, and citizen wellbeing,” Toral says.
Lame-duck politicians are concerned with laying the groundwork for their return to power, he adds, and have an incentive to use executive authority to make that return likely.
The researcher avers that to achieve these goals, lame ducks can strategically use their authority over procurement, regulations, and bureaucratic appointments, among other tools of government.
These moves are calculated to either limit the next administration’s ability to govern, by tying their hands with contracts, regulations or personnel they would otherwise not desire, improve compliance or obscure past mismanagement, reducing the risk of future prosecution.
But not all of Toral’s statements applies to Governor Azanza, who still has a good chance at reelection but chose to declare his unavailability this early to focus on his obvious and first ambition: become a congressman.
Unlike Toral’s lame-duck politicians, the governor’s power and influence remains undiminished unless the Ombudsman decides to restore the suspended vice governor and provincial board members back to their posts at the end of the six (6) months from May 28, 2026, or earlier if the administrative case is resolved in their favor.
Azanza wields power at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan through the six temporary PBMs appointed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) upon his recommendation, although an adverse court ruling on the quo warranto case could wipe away this advantage.
Aside from filling up civil service positions in the provincial government, the governor has 15 months before the start of the 2028 campaign period to fatten up his financial arsenal and further enhance his considerable clout on social media by using the programs and projects of his administration to project that he is a better man for the Batasan job than the incumbent.
So, is Azanza a political lame-duck now as many believe after his no-reelection statement?
Nope, far from it.
He is just focusing his mental faculties on marshalling support and resources for what is expected to be a bruising fight to unseat an entrenched traditional politician.
And, just like what he did with his stint as university president, he will be using the provincial government as a springboard to the next level of public service as a legislator.
The only challenge he has to surmount is to persuade the people that his actions in the remaining months of his three years in power is in fulfillment of his vow to do what is right for Catanduanes and not for his political ambitions.