IF ELECTED congressman, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will not actively pursue the creation of a third district yet, but will prioritize the crackdown on dubious medicines and herbal supplements like those sold by his rival Jonathan Guardo.
“Probably I will pursue the third district but my first priority is to understand the dynamics of what is going on there (south district). One thing is for sure, I will not legalize iridology. I will crack down dubious drugs that cure you from cancer, high blood or whatever,” the mayor said in his news conference yesterday.
When sought for comment, Guardo said he is still waiting for the mayor to accept his challenge to a debate, so they can discuss issues and their programs for the city “instead of engaging in trash talk.”
“His comments are now getting personal. But I understand his side. He is getting more frustrated by the day,” the businessman said.
Guardo’s family owns the company that produces and sells Arthro and other food supplements.
“You know, it’s basically deception. Arthro is kontra sa arthritis but sa ubos there is no approved therapeutic claim?
Kinsa may makasabot ana, ang mga pobre? Arthro cures arthritis, that’s clearly deception. You’re giving people false hopes,” Osmeña said.
Osmeña also said that Guardo should also explain where he got his degree in iridology.
On the call of Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south district) for his successor to pursue the creation of a third district, Osmeña said he will study it first before he actively works on the grouping of some coastal barangays.
He will also pursue his earlier plan to annex Cordova town and make it part of the proposed district, including the entire 290-hectare South Road Properties (SRP) and the North Reclamation Area.
“I’d like to pursue that, to make Cordova part of it... And to make it tempting for them, we’ll throw in the SRP. Dili pa ka ana, you will be congressman of SRP? You can even throw in the north reclamation so the new district will all be coastal barangays,” the mayor said.
He also wants to include Barangays Ermita, San Nicolas and San Roque.
The creation of a third district is also part of the opposition’s plan, but Guardo wants an Eco-District that will be composed of most of the city’s mountain villages.
Guardo said that with the pork barrel funds for the new district, the mountain barangays will get the much needed resources to address the problems that affect them.
“With the growing threat of flooding and other ecological problems, it’s time we gave more attention to our mountain barangays. Their produce are also major sources of our food consumption. So this Eco-District will be a priority bill for me,” Guardo added. (LCR)