WHO would have thought that a handwritten letter addressed to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña would land an elementary public school teacher a possible seat in Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan’s (BOPK) line-up of south district councilors for the next elections?
Definitely not 24-year-old Morishka Nicole Uy from Barangay Punta Princesa.
The Grade 6 teacher wrote to the mayor last April 26 to express her gratitude for the help and support she received from the City Government last year.
Uy is a person with disability (PWD).
Her right leg had to be amputated after a vehicular accident while she was on her way to a seminar last year.
“I received a wheelchair from the City Government. I was so blessed since I was given the chance to avail myself of the medical assistance of the City. I was able to purchase an artificial leg, then my new life started,” reads a portion of her letter.
Uy said it was Pilar Sanchez, school head of Bulacao Community School, who informed Councilor Joy Augustus Young of her condition. Young is the deputy mayor for education.
Uy returned to work last January. She gets around with a pair of crutches.
Nothing final
She will be welcoming a new batch of Grade 6 pupils in the Don Vicente Rama Memorial Elementary School when classes open next month.
But before that, Uy wanted to meet Osmeña in person to give thanks.
They finally met yesterday morning in the mayor’s office with the teacher bringing a box of pichi-pichi for Osmeña.
The casual exchange of pleasantries turned into a small press conference with some reporters after Osmeña announced his intentions to field Uy for councilor under BOPK.
Although nothing is final, Osmeña said he prefers people not coming from any political dynasty to be represented in the City Council.
“She has the ideal profile of what future leaders should be like. She has a story to tell, talking from her own personal experience. I know what I am seeing (potential) and this is exactly what I like,” he said.
“This is the dilemma that we’re usually in. You select leaders because of superficial reasons and then once they get elected, you hope and pray that they can do something. But if they can’t do anything, there is no remedy to that. Atong pilion ang mga taw na di ilado pero makahatag og serbisyo,” Osmeña added.
Although she was surprised, Uy said she welcomed the mayor’s pronouncement.
She added that although PWDs only have a few representatives, they can do as much as any other person.