Move over Rene Relampagos or Board Member Cesar Tomas “Yul” Lopez if ex-senator Ernesto “Boy” Herrera enters the congressional fray in the first district. First degree cousins—Relampagos and Lopez, were reported to have eyed the coveted position of first district congressman after the position becomes a level playing field with the termination of the term of the incumbent, Cong. Edgar Chatto. Chatto is eyeing the governorship with the former senator's brother lawyer Julius Ceasar Herrera his possible opponent.

While the two cousins are banging each other's heads as to who will run in the family representing vote-rich Loon, the pretenders were banking on the blessing of their uncle ex-Constitutional Convention delegate Natalio “Chito” Castillo, Jr. as the “third man on the ring”. According to Castillo, only one candidate will run in the Lopez-Relampagos clan. Contented of being touted as the kingmaker of the two protagonists, Castillo's posture drastically changed when he learned that the elder Herrera is eyeing a comeback of the position he held for one term. After completing his term for senator, the Calape native who earned his spurs as a labor leader, decided to run for Congress and won. That was in 1998. With the new configuration in place as a result of Chatto's “graduation”, Herrera appeared inclined to reconsider his retirement and make a crack for the congressional position.

This is where the Castillo factor comes in. Informed of Herrera's renewed bid, Castillo said he will set aside his kingmaker role towards his nephews and challenge the Calape former senator for a one-on-one showdown. Herrera's political interest was practically reignited after City Mayor Dan Neri Lim of Tagbilaran cajoled him into entering the congressional derby to protect the first district turf of his brother Julius who is running for governor. In a radio interview last Monday over Station DYTR's Cuentas Claras, Herrera did not make any categorical confirmation of his congressional plan. But reading between the lines, it was apparent that he can be forced to run if “push comes to shove”. In the same interview, he intimated that there's no way that Julius may be persuaded into accepting a draft in the first district as congressman. This doused cold water to speculations that the vice governor may be prevailed upon to run for the Congress seat vacated by Chatto.

“It's governor or nothing for Julius”, the elder Herrera blurted. Told during the interview of a rare scenario where he will be facing Relampagos who was only his political pupil during his reign as Bohol political godfather, the ex-senator said that the situation is indeed strange. He said if he will finally decide to run, he will try to reach out to Relampagos if it would be possible to avert a showdown between a "teacher and pupil". For his part, the former governor said if this confrontation cannot be avoided, then so be it, adding that a showdown between friends is part of the essence of democracy.

The young political career of Relampagos was nurtured by Herrera when he was a two-term senator making the former a creation of the former legislator. As for Castillo, the main reason why he will put on his political gloves again after hanging it for good in 2004, was the possibility of a Herrera victory where he will only appear to his constituents “once in a blue moon”. The Loon opposition godfather threatened to run in 2004 against Chatto but backed out in the middle of the hustings. The son of the former first district congressman in the 70's noted that during Herrera's term as congressman from 1998-2001, he was never a fixture in his congressional turf because he was holed up most of the time in his sinecure in Manila. Castillo said being a congressman is a full time job.