Gamboa: Once a Miracle Boy, still the Miracle Boy

In a political culture historically plagued by “manipulation, money, machinery, and machines”, Councilor-elect Wilson “Jun” Gamboa, Jr. once again stood tall, defiant and alone in swimming against such systemic tide that erodes the democratic ideals.

In a suspenseful turn-out that stretched from evening until dawn of May 11, 2025, he ultimately secured 9th place in a tightly contested 12-man City Councilors, against most of his opponents who came from comparatively well-funded campaign operations of the current administration.

Defying the 15-0 bet of most observers, Gamboa emerged as the sole candidate from his party, the formidable TEAM ELCID, to win a seat in the Bacolod Sangguniang Panglunsod (SP).

This is the third victory milestone for Gamboa proving that Bacolod City will not allow a 15-0 win much to the consternation of many who placed actual bets by the millions as reported.

It can be recalled that Gamboa, then a neophyte in local politics surprisingly turned ripples to waves with nary a centavo in launching the usual very expensive myth-packaging campaign back in 2007, his victory back then was short of astonishing, earning him the title “Miracle Boy” of Bacolod politics bestowed by then veteran journalist, the late Rolly Espina, when he captured the 5th Councilor seat, a top 5 for a neophyte.

Other titles like “New Kid in Town” and “Mr. Arroz Caldo Man”, would follow Gamboa in the 2019 elections, when he sparkled like stars amidst an intensified campaign unleashed by his opponents.

With no expensive media hypes except his free personal social media accounts and volunteers, the “Miracle Boy” title was evoked once again to describe his highly improbable victory as the sole winner from his MKK Party, as he hanged on to the 12th and the last City Councilor seat.

Gamboa proved once again that a clear independent and principled-driven advocacy, the will to honestly serve, the track record of honesty and integrity and the unique connection with the grassroot – built through sheer inclusive and painstaking person-to-person campaign, the advice bequeathed upon him by his late father, Atty. Wilson Gamboa, Sr., – carried him through the maze of money and patronage politics back in 2019.

At the dawn of May 12, 2025, Bacolod repeated its own history by miraculously catapulting Gamboa to the 9th City Councilor seat for the third time; this time the victory was achieved with zero-budget campaign paraphernalia, anchored on a three-point mission statement targeting improvements on “utilities, garbage-waste management and education”.

He was again the lone successful candidate of his party, a phenomenon that led many to reflect on his “Miracle Boy” moniker to be metamorphosed into a “lasting legacy”.

Gamboa’s 2025 miraculous victory and mission is actually an assimilation of his 18-year experience in politics characterized by values principle over popularity and performance over promises, a different kind of politics that is not cowered by money or the moneyed influencers around, a kind of politics that is not driven by power but by purpose, a kind of politics that would leave a legacy for the future generation to emulate.

This drive enabled him to be an authentic fiscalizer, not for convenience or media attention but for the crafting and development of people-oriented policies. unfazed by the lures of materialism he repeatedly recalled as his father’s stern advice, “never to be jealous of rich politicians or involved himself in any transactions that would lead him into oblivion.”

“A fiscalizer,” Gamboa explained, “does not mean rebelliousness and rabble-rousing. I will not hesitate to call out discrepancies or inefficiencies, in some ways, but in many ways, I will remain committed to constructive collaboration, cooperation and compromise with the administration for the benefit of our people where my victory belongs. Oversight and cooperation can and must go hand in hand.”

“As your Councilor for 2025 and for the next three years thereafter, let me prove once again that I would run an Office at the Bacolod Government Center that would stay open, an office with listening ears, an office with a heart that will not stop serving and an office committed to truth and transparency, run by a fiscalizing councilor,” Gamboa said.* (Gil Severino)