Kusug endorses candidacies of Team Rama ticket, applauds Rama’s credibility

CEBU City’s Kugi Uswag Sugbu (Kusug) formally endorsed yesterday the candidates they will support for the May 13 midterm elections.

During the party’s convention, former mayor and Kusug chairperson Alvin Garcia announced they will support the bid of Mayor Michael Rama to be reelected and that of Councilor Edgardo Labella as Rama’s runningmate.

They will also support Cebu City south district congressional aspirant Aristotle Batuhan and north district congressional bet Anabelle Rama.

The candidates are all running under Team Rama.

Garcia said Kusug has decided to support Rama because he has an untarnished credibility.

“Ako mosaad nga kon mapili pag-usab si Mike ug kamo motabang pag-ayo, ako moboluntaryo pagserbisyo balik sa siyudad sa Sugbo. Way bayad.

Kinahanglan ta og sama kaligdong niya (If Mike gets reelected, I will serve the city for free. We need a mayor with his credibility),” he said. Garcia said Rama is supporting the projects he proposed during his term, which were no longer implemented during the term of former mayor now Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district).

Projects

One of these projects is the Water Development Project, which seeks to make the waterfront of the city like the San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf.

“Naa na ang tanang mga plano. We’re going to make it a tourism center. We’re going to turn the industrial slum of the city into a world-class waterfront development,” he said.

As for Labella, Garcia said that like Rama, the three-termer councilor also has an untarnished credibility.

For Batuhan, Garcia believes he is better than the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) candidate Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa.

During his term as mayor, Garcia said the City Council passed an ordinance creating the Central Business District.

This ordinance proposed a moratorium on the construction or expansion of schools along P. Del Rosario to Sikatuna Sts. Because of this, Garcia questioned the construction of Abellanosa’s Asian College of Technology.

“Nganung nakatukod man na siya nga di man na mahimo? Daghan siyag kwarta pero daghan sad siya ug apan. Niana, atong tagaan ug mayorya si Totol Batuhan (Why was he able to build his school when it was not allowed? He has money but he has many flaws. Because of that, let’s support Batuhan),” Garcia said.

Privileged

For Anabelle, Garcia said Kusug will support her because despite her privileged life in Manila, she decided to come home to Cebu to serve the public.

He said that while he has nothing against BOPK’s Raul del Mar, it’s about time to replace him because they have been lording over north district for several decades now.

Murag puol na kaayo sa tanan. Panahon na sa kausaban. Ayaw ninyo kalimti si Annabelle. Wa nay kasong palaaway basta moaway para nato, di ba? (It’s time for change. Getting into fights is alright as long as she fights for us),” he said.

Garcia said he doesn’t understand why Del Mar is pushing for the construction of flyovers in the city when it doesn’t even have a study.

Upon learning about the gathering, Osmeña, who heads BOPK, downplayed Kusug’s endorsements of Team Rama candidates.

“Analyze the winners not the losers unless you want to learn how to be one,” he said.

Osmeña said any of the candidates for the upcoming polls always has a chance to win in the election but that “it’s not good to bet on it.”

Kusug has not yet endorsed candidates for councilors. The party said they will announce their choices before the start of the local campaign period on March 29.

Prioritize

On who they will be endorsing, Kusug party president Raymond Garcia said they will prioritize the members of the party.

These include Lahug Barangay Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos, Ermita Barangay Councilor Felicisimo “Imoc” Rupinta, Sambag I Barangay Captain Jerry Guardo, and Busay Barangay Captain Eliodoro “Yody” Sanchez, all of Team Rama.

They will also endorse Cogon Pardo Barangay Captain Eugenio Gabuya, who is running under the ticket of BOPK.

Raymond said that even if he is running under BOPK, Gabuya has continued to be a member of Kusug since he has not resigned as member of the party.

Yesterday, Mayor Rama thanked Kusug for endorsing him and his teammates.
“I will guarantee in behalf of Team Rama that you have not made a mistake in endorsing me for I have decided to exist up to the last drop of my blood to stand and work in the name of God and in the name of service to the fellowmen, the Cebuanos and all the people of this dakbayan,” he said.