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Sunday, April 04, 2004
Lack of opposition prompts 2 ex-dads to run on May 10
By Aledel Gonzalez-Cuizon
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE absence of an opposition in the Mandaue City Council has prompted two former city councilors to leave their private lives for a while to make a comeback bid.
Former city councilors Diosdado Suico and Elmer Cabahug said yesterday that after three years of having a solid council for the administration, it’s time to have an opposition in the City Council.
Check, balance
“Being an opposition councilor doesn’t mean opposing measures just because you belong to another party. It is for the purpose of having check and balance in the group,” Cabahug pointed out.
In a separate interview, Suico said that during his term, proposals were subjected to full deliberations.
“Lantugi gyud nga wala’y tihik-tihik,” he said, adding that sessions in the present council are “scripted.”
Cabahug was the lone opposition of the City Council from 1998 to 2001. He wasn’t assigned any committee.
Cabahug, who was a professional basketball player when he was elected councilor, recalled that schedule of session would be moved to a day when he had a game.
In an interview yesterday, Cabahug told Sun.Star that the main reason he wants to be back at the City Council is to develop specific sports programs for the youth.
He said he wants to tap sports talent from the “grassroots” and develop a sports scholarship for qualified youth.
Cabahug, now a basketball coach for the University of the Visayas, said he will try hard to win in the May election.
Criticism
In a separate interview, Suico criticized the present City Council for not starting sessions on time.
He pointed out that while a notice states that the session is scheduled at 2 p.m., it actually starts hours late.
“The session becomes scripted because the deliberation was done in a caucus. It’s not realistic,” Suico told Sun.Star.
He takes pride in being the author of at least 77 resolutions and ordinances in 1993.
A year later, he had 85 approved measures, making him the topnotcher in the City Council then.
“I was independent-minded in the City Council. I made sure that my measures benefited taxpayers,” he said.
Suico said he wants to be back in the City Council so he could draft measures that address Man-daue’s social problems, such as housing and water supply.
Suico was with the administration when he was city councilor from 1992 to 95. He jumped to the opposition and won when he ran for a second term.
He was minority floor leader from 1995 to 1998.
In 1998, Cabahug won in his first bid for city councilor. He sought another term in 2001 but lost.
This time, however, Suico and Cabahug will be running together under the Mega Team, which will go against the administration’s Power Team 3.
(April 4, 2004 issue)
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