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Tuesday, July 23, 2002
ESPINOZA: Lito has bigger plans
By Elias L. Espinoza
HUGE PLANS. I was somehow right when I said earlier that former Gov. Lito Osmeña was not naïve to make public his intention to take back Capitol in the 2004 polls and run against his nephew, Vice Gov. John-john Osmeña.
Lito’s pronouncement was just icing on the cake. The truth is, after the former governor lost in his try for the vice presidency in 1998 and after the term of former president Ramos, his name disappeared in the political scene.
To get back into the political arena and retake the lost clout, Lito has actually bigger plans than just publicly denying he is not running for governor against his nephew.
Parenthetically, he was right because he does not know yet his possible opponent in the gubernatorial race.
It is Lito’s proposition that with him running for governor as the official bet of the administration, he can unite the leaders in Cebu and give their full support for President Arroyo’s presidential bid in the 2004 polls.
More than this, Lito’s deal with President Arroyo covers the inclusion of his older brother, Sen. John Osmeña, in the senatorial lineup of the administration. It sounds like unattainable but there is some truth to it.
Since Senator Osmeña left former president Erap Estrada, he is now like a captain without a boat. Except for his local party Alayon, the senator is certainly without a political vessel to ride on in the May 2004 senatorial polls.
Senator Osmeña’s chance of getting reelected will be to join the administration party. Under our queer political system, this is possible. Horsetrading is the name of the game. That is why we have the “balimbings and “butterflies.”
It is even possible that Lito would be running for governor unopposed unless former governor Tingting de la Serna would also make another comeback to give the opposition a choice. So, what is the scenario?
According to my mole, with Lito running for governor, the rift between Gov. Pablo Garcia and former congressman Junie Martinez would be settled. Junie Martinez would be given a consuelo as Lito’s runningmate for vice governor.
I was told that the Martinezes and Lito have no differences either personal or political. Junie’s only lament was when Lito stayed “neutral” in the last elections, which was understandable since the vice governor is his nephew.
Junie is allegedly now preparing for another battle royal with Vice Governor Osmeña in the gubernatorial race. However, with Lito running, he might just as well settle for vice governor, which would be a pragmatic decision.
CONGRESS? If this happens, what would become of the much-ballyhooed tandem between Vice Gov. John-john Osmeña as gubernatorial bet with Gwen Garcia, Governor Garcia’s daughter, as his runningmate for vice governor?
Everything had been arranged and it is only a matter of time before it would be officially announced, said my source. The vice governor, being still young and bachelor, is said to prefer (without a choice?) a legislative post than the executive office.
The young vice governor, if he gets elected congressman, will have more space to move around in Metro Manila than settle for governor where he will be restricted to the small province and all his activities are under the watchful eyes of the media.
Believe it or not, but when my source told me that the vice governor will run for Congress in the first district, I thought he was kidding. However, he said this is the plan since Rep. Dodong Gullas wants to quit politics.
Congressman Gullas personally managed the school business of their family before he was elected congressman of the first district. The school is not allegedly doing well after he joined politics.
What about Talisay City Mayor Eddie Gullas? Did he not say he will run again for Congress in the first district after first term as city mayor ends? The city mayor will reportedly stay to give way to John-john.
Gwen, being new, may just wait for the next election. If not, she may settle for a seat in the provincial board in the third district where his father was the former congressman.
This is part of Lito’s alleged grand political design showing to the national leadership that Cebu is one in supporting the presidential bid of President Arroyo on May 2004. |
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