GOV. Gwendolyn Gar-cia is baffled by Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez’s criticisms against her, saying that he is seeking reelection and is not challenging her candidacy.
“Maybe he’s confused about what position he is running for...And it is actually working against him,” Garcia told reporters last Monday.
Sanchez, who is facing Garcia’s runningmate Glenn Anthony Soco in the May elections, said he does not have a reason to attack Soco, a private person.
“Why should I attack Glenn? He is not the one who is trying to put me down,” the vice governor also said.
Garcia explained that Sanchez’s attacks against her would not be good for the vice governor because she has a high approval rating in the Province.
If Sanchez continues to attack her, Garcia said the “vote of protest” will go to Soco.
But this is highly unlikely, said Sanchez, because Soco is very new in politics while he has been serving the Province for almost a decade already.
Besides, he is not really attacking Garcia but is merely questioning several controversial moves of the governor.
Sanchez said he is raising “legitimate” issues related to Garcia’s official functions and Soco could not answer these issues as a candidate because he is not holding a government post.
The vice governor noted how Garcia allegedly encroached on his function as presiding officer of the Provincial Board (PB) when the governor refused to renew the contracts of some of his consultants.
But Garcia noted that at least three staffers under the Office of the Vice Governor were assigned as trainers in Sanchez’s program on organic far-ming, which is an official program of his office.
The Office of the Governor claimed that the employees were paid by Capitol to work in Sanchez’s private farm. But the latter explained that while he owns the private farm, it is also being used as a demonstration farm for official activities, like seminars and training for municipal agriculturists, farmers and students.
To prove his claim, Sanchez showed a video of a seminar on organic farming held in the said farm.
The seminar was attended by Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Necias Vicoy and his municipal agriculture officers, and even retired judge Esperanza Garcia, the governor’s mother.
Sanchez said that Soco also could not answer his questions on the non-rescission of the contract involving the P98-million Balili property.
The same goes for the issue on the P5-entrance fee at the Cebu South Bus Terminal and the P20-million donation to the typhoon Ondoy victims, when the PB approved a resolution that the donation would only be P10 million, he said.
Sanchez pointed out that it was even Garcia’s camp who threw personal attacks at him by insinuating that he was “dating” a band member that he himself organized.
“I did not even hit on their love team,” said Sanchez, referring to the rumors surrounding the tandem of Garcia and Soco.
Sanchez said he did not even make a fuss each time Garcia brought Soco to official functions when he is not yet an official of the Province.
Garcia and Sanchez came from opposing camps when they both ran for their respective positions in 2004. They formed One Cebu in 2007 and ran as a team in the elections in the same year.
Their relations soured last year, which prompted Sanchez to bolt One Cebu and become the runningmate of former Cebu City councilor Hilario “Junjun” Davide III under the Liberal Party.