A CLOSE ally, like Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña himself, has turned down an offer to run for vice mayor with former senator John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña.

Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President Eugenio Faelnar, Guadalupe barangay captain, said he and Sonny are good friends, but he had to refuse the offer.

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“Naa sad ko’y utang kabobot-on niya, pero di lang gyud nako mahimo modagan og (I also owe him a favor, but I do not want to run for) vice mayor,” Faelnar told Sun.Star Cebu.

Faelnar said that Sonny called him yesterday morning and offered the slot to him.

The ex-senator reiterated last Friday his intention to run for Cebu City mayor. He went to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and transferred his voter registration from Ibo, Toledo City to Camputhaw, Cebu City.

He will clash with Vice Mayor Michael Rama and cousin Georgia Osmeña. Opposition party Kugi Uswag Sugbo (Kusug) has not announced yet its official candidates for mayor and vice mayor.

Last Friday, after meeting with Liberal Party (LP) national president Francisco “Butch” Abad, Sonny said he, too, would come up with a complete slate.

Sonny said he wanted Tomas to be his running mate, but that he (Sonny) would step down to allow his cousin to serve as mayor again. Now on his third consecutive term, Tomas is barred by term limits from seeking reelection.

In a separate interview yesterday, Tomas said he found Sonny’s plan “unacceptable,” as he only agreed to reconcile with him so he will “not get in the way” of the former senator’s fight against Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.

“I did not tell him to come to Cebu City and run for mayor. It’s not acceptable,” Tomas said.

Told of his cousin’s words, Sonny said it is Tomas’s loss, not his.

“Iya man kaha na protektaran ang SRP. Unsaon niya pagprotektar kung dili siya mayor? Wala koy sala ani ha (He says he wants to protect the South Road Properties.

How can he do that when he’s no longer mayor?),” Sonny said.

Faelnar, too, declined Sonny’s proposal for him to run for vice mayor.

“Niingon siya ako usa sa iyang gikonsiderar. Akong giingnan nga ayaw na lang ko apil-apila; intriga na sad na (He said I was one of those he considered. I told him to leave me out of it),” Faelnar said.

He said he even declined to run for city councilor, which Tomas wanted him to do, because he wants to take a break from politics.

As ABC president, though, Faelnar will still remain an ex-officio member of the city council until he is replaced as head of the federation.

Sonny said he is really intent on running for mayor.