Malilong: Osmeña unperturbed

Saturday, February 4, 2012

HE is not burning his bridges with the Liberal Party (LP) yet but Cebu City South District Rep. Tommy Osmeña is prepared to go on his own, if necessary, in the 2013 elections. The Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) has never been dependent on a national party in running its campaign, Tommy told me over the phone last Friday.

Reports of a rift between the BOPK and the LP started circulating early last week following an argument in which both Osmeña and LP president Mar Roxas were said to have raised their voices during a dinner that Tommy hosted. There are conflicting versions as to what precipitated the heated exchange, but it is commonly reported that it had to do with Cebu City politics, particularly the fight between Osmeña and Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama.

Tommy said that “there is no pressure” for the BOPK to align itself with a national political party because Cebu City residents don’t sell their votes unlike in other places where “you don’t have a political future” if you have no budget for vote-buying. About the only funding that they require on election day is for food and allowance for the watchers, he added.

Osmeña, who has already declared his intention to run for mayor against Rama, also scoffed at allegations that his health will weigh heavily against him in the 2013 campaign. He pointed out that his opponents had raised his having had cancer as an issue against him in the past to no avail.

“They were waiting for me to die,” he said, “but here I am, still alive.” Making his health an issue is “poor strategy,” according to him.

Osmeña does not discount the possibility that some BOPK barangay captains are already siding with Rama. He referred to them as the “Arante boys,” apparently in reference to the contractor whose public works projects in the city came under close scrutiny toward the end of Osmeña’s last term at City Hall for allegedly being sub-standard. “They’re naturally unhappy with me,” he said.

If Osmeña pursues his plan to run for Cebu City mayor next year, it will not be the first time that he will be challenging his handpicked successor for the post. He also did it with Alvin Garcia, who he beat by a slight margin during their first encounter. An incumbent city official, who is sympathetic to Rama, predicted that Osmeña will have an even more difficult time against the incumbent mayor, who he described as “more focused” on his reelection bid than Alvin was during his time.

But Osmeña doesn’t seem perturbed even by the prospect of losing the LP’s support to Mike. It’s the people of Cebu City, not them, who decide, he told me.
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Junjun Davide, the Cebu LP chairman and likely candidate for governor in 2013, has described the loss of former Sen. Sonny Osmeña’s support as a minor setback. He could have added that it is Sonny who has the bigger problem.

Sonny has long made known his intention to run against Rep. Pablo John Garcia in the third district. In fact, he has reportedly already established residence in Toledo City. Sonny is trying to stage a political comeback but he couldn’t have chosen a more formidable opponent.

He needs all the help he could get, all the alliances he could build in order to mount a serious challenge to Pablo John, who is the overwhelming favorite. Davide was a natural ally because, like Sonny, he would be running against a candidate of One Cebu. But after Sonny dumped him, do you think Junjun (and the LP) will still support his congressional bid?

Or does Sonny think that, like his cousin in Cebu City, he can win, with or without support from a national party?