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Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Tom to refuse Lakas VP post
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will attend the national directorate meeting of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party today, but he will turn down the offer for him to be the party vice president.
Osmeña, who is reportedly among the nominees as replacement of Sen. Loren Legarda, said he is only willing to affiliate with the party so he could “take advantage” of the “rights and privileges” given to members during the elections.
Among these rights and privileges is fielding poll watchers in voting precincts.
“I’m hilaw. I’m not Lakas,” he said, eliciting laughter from reporters in yesterday’s news conference.
Osmeña, chairman of the national executive board of the League of Cities, also said he was not offered any position and if he gets one, he will not accept it.
‘Not my problem’
“I’ll be the one to choose who will be the candidate in Aloguinsan? Never mind. That’s no longer my problem. Why don’t they put (Presidential Liaison Officer for the Visayas) Bert Emphasis?” He said, laughing. Osmeña and Emphasis are at odds after the latter reportedly “belittled” Osmeña’s chances of winning the presidency in the League of Cities.
Acting Lakas-CMD president Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte was quoted in a national daily as saying that nominations for the replacement of Legarda, the party’s former vice president, include Osmeña, foarmer senator Ernesto “Boy” Herrera, former congressman Serge Apostol and Iloilo Rep. Raul Gonzalez.
Loyalty
Earlier, Osmeña said he might be named Lakas chairman in Cebu City while Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) and Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north) will be named the party’s chairpersons in their districts.
However, he said he does not want his group, the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), which is identified with Lito Osmeña’s Promdi, to be under any party.
“The BO-PK’s loyalty is to Cebu,” he added.
He will leave for Manila today and will put Acting Vice Mayor Gabriel Leyson in charge of City Hall if Vice Mayor Michael Rama won’t be back today from an official trip in California.
Osmeña said he has several matters to attend to in Manila and might be out of Cebu for the rest of the week.
He also did not confirm reports that President Arroyo will be dropping by Cebu City this Thursday.
The mayor has expressed his support for Arroyo and that Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando would make a good vice president.
(October 7, 2003 issue)
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