It’s a power grab: PJ Garcia on detractors

ONE Cebu gubernatorial aspirant Rep. Pablo John Garcia accused his sister’s detractors of a power grab, “through elections or before that.”

The governor is facing preventive suspension following the charges filed against her, an Ombudsman official said after the cases were filed.

“Tomas Osmeña is maneuvering to be governor of Cebu by remote control. Because the people he wants to put there, whether temporarily or permanently, are controlled by remote control,” the gubernatorial aspirant said.

Days before the Ombudsman filed graft charges against the governor, Rep. Osmeña already made the announcement that a suspension was coming, prompting Rama to ask if the City congressman is interfering or lobbying for the filing of graft charges.

“The fact that he announced the ombudsman resolution even before it was promulgated, and even before the Ombudsman-Visayas knew of the resolution, people can put two and two together,” Rep. Garcia stated.

Bets

Former Cebu City councilor Hilario Junjun Davide III and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale are the Liberal Party (LP) bets for governor and vice governor next year. They will be up against One Cebu Party gubernatorial aspirant Garcia. The party is yet to pick Garcia’s running mate.

After charges were filed last July 19 and the respondents posted bail, Deputy Ombudsman-Visayas Pelagio Apostol said in an interview that preventive suspension may follow after the governor’s arraignment. No date has been set yet for the arraignment.

If she is preventively suspended, the vice governor takes over the highest position.

“They are working for a power grab, whether through the elections or before that,” Garcia stated.

Davide was an ally of Osmeña during the former’s stint as a city councilor.

Check facts

Meanwhile, Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI (Cebu, 5th district) denied that Bakud Party has impose a condition to file graft charges against Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in its alliance with the LP of President Benigno Aquino III.

Durano, chairperson of Bakud Party covering Cebu’s fifth district, has signed a coalition agreement with LP represented by its president, Mar Roxas, last July 7 in Danao City.

Durano criticized Rep. Jose Victor Ejercito, son of former president Joseph Estrada, for making such accusations.

Ejercito was in Danao City last July 20, together with Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, and delivered a speech to about 5,000 people.

“The statement of JV Ejercito is very reckless and irresponsible when they don’t even have the facts yet. It only goes to show that the national politicians lack knowledge pertaining to the local politics and politics in the district. JV Ejercito should check his facts first before making insinuations about our party,” read Durano’s statement emailed to Sun.Star Cebu.

Durano said Bakud did not impose such a condition to LP as the cases versus Garcia were filed in 2009 long before the alliance and negotiations between the two parties began.

On the other hand, Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale categorically denied that they have a hand in the filing of charges against Garcia.

“I agree with the statement of Congressman Red Durano that politicians in the national level do not know about the issues in Cebu,” Magpale said.

However, lawyer JV Bautista, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) spokesman, said the cases against Garcia were filed before the Sandiganbayan only after she was declared as an official senatorial candidate of the coalition.

“The cruel and conspicuous timing of the filing of the graft case and the impending suspension of Governor Garcia appears to be more political harassment than a genuine desire to rid the government of scalawags,” JV Bautista said.