Woman files COC, to run against Tomas for 3rd time

SADDENED by what she considers the slow pace of Cebu City’s progress, a businesswoman from Barangay Punta Princesa will run for city mayor so she can give the people a livelihood and decent housing.

Lea Remedios Ong, 55, is the first to file a certificate of candidacy (COC) for city mayor. She said she is not daunted by the prospect of facing veteran politicians like Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) and Mayor Michael Rama in the mayoral race because she has her own volunteers who will help her.

It will be the third time that she will challenge Osmeña’s candidacy. The first was for mayor in 2007 and for congressman in 2010.

Rama and his Team Rama allies and Osmeña’s Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) shied away from the second day of the filing of the COC. Team Rama allies are expected to file their COCs on Friday while BOPK bets are reportedly planning to do so on Thursday.

When she visited the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Cebu City office at 2:30 p.m. yesterday, Ong was still undecided if she should run for mayor or south district representative. By 4:30 p.m., she handed poll officers her COC for mayor.

She lamented the slow progress of the city, particularly in the south district, which she said will change if she is elected mayor.

“Hinay kaayo ang paglambo… walay asenso labi na sa south district. Ang mga tawo walay trabaho o negosyo (The progress is so slow, especially in the south. People don’t have jobs or livelihood),” Ong told reporters yesterday.

She assured voters she will help them with livelihood and that she will provide the urban poor with decent housing.

Ong also promised to promote tourism and small and medium enterprises and improve peace and order in the city.

“Gusto lang gyud ko makatabang sa katawhan… Tudloan sad nato ang mga tawo og disiplina kay og dili disiplinado ang mga tawo, mu-suffer gyud ang peace and order (I just want to help the people and to teach them discipline because if our constituents are not disciplined, peace and order will suffer),” she said.

Ong was fourth candidate to file a COC in Comelec Cebu City yesterday. A retired fiscal, a laborer and a man who claimed to be a journalist filed their COCs for congressman last Monday.