PAGADIAN CITY – In politics, there are no permanent friends, only permanent interest.

This saying recently came out true in Zamboanga del Sur, Mindanao’s premier province, when the long-time allies of Gov. Aurora Enerio-Cerilles and her husband Rep. Antonio H. Cerilles (2nd district) decided to unite and challenge the political supremacy of the Cerilles couple in the May 10 elections.

Being both in their last terms, the Cerilleses have sought to exchange places – with Aurora gunning for her husband’s congressional post and Antonio aspiring for his wife’s seat in the capitol.

The former close associates of the Cerilles couple are led by incumbent Vice Gov. Roseller Ariosa and Mayor Domingo Mirar of Lakewood town both of whom are literally political creations of the husband-and-wife team.

A previously virtual political unknown, Ariosa (Liberal Party) was Gov. Cerilles’ runningmate for the past three local elections until he severed his ties with the latter in an attempt to realize his dream to capture the province’s top post with no less than his political mentor, Rep. Cerilles, as his rival.

Ariosa picked as his runningmate Mayor Mirar of Lakewood, a former mountain lakeside barangay named after American civil governor Leonard Wood, which Rep. Cerilles converted some nine years ago into a regular municipality.

Cerilles later plucked Mirar, then a Pagadian City policeman, and installed him initially as acting Lakewood mayor until he (Mirar) was elected regular town executive for three terms.