Wednesday, January 03, 2007 Guardo organizes political movement
A NEW opposition party in Cebu City hopes it can help bring changes in the city, particularly in the south district.
Businessman Jonathan Guardo, 37, said he will have his party, the Tribu Guardo, registered with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) later this month, as they complete their lineup for the May 2007 elections.
But the new opposition party will look beyond the May elections and will bring the “much-needed changes” down to the barangay level after the barangay elections in October this year.
“We have long felt the need to change the leadership in the city, particularly in the south district. Generally, the barangays in the south are depressed and with my background as a businessman, I hope to change that,” he said.
“Overall, economic activities gyud ang kulang,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
Guardo has announced his bid for the congressional seat in the south district.
SEA games row
He was chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission for four years. He resigned from his post last December in the wake of Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s scrutiny of the Southeast Asian Games funding.
Guardo was also chairman of the Cebu SEA Games organizing committee, which was prodded by the mayor to account for the P10-million funding from Malacañang for the holding of the 23rd SEA Games in Cebu.
In his news conference yesterday, Vice Mayor Michael Rama said he has not heard of the opposition party nor has he received any invitation to join the opposition.
But if he gets invited, Rama said he will have to decline because he will remain with the administration party, the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK).
“I’ll give them the courtesy of declining because I’m still with BO-PK. Although there are petty concerns within our party, it’s not a reason or justification for leaving,” he said.
Guardo said they already filled up their slate for their councilors, and they are currently talking with possible candidates for Cebu City mayor, vice mayor and congressman in the north district.
He declined from naming their possible candidates, saying he does not want to preempt the results of their discussions.
Bry. polls
He also said some of his allies will run for barangay captain in October.
“There’s now a new opposition grouping that I will be leading. Although former mayor Alvin Garcia’s Kusog party is still there, the party is already splintered.
(Some of their allies have transferred to) BO-PK and (it seems there are now fewer members of) Kusog. And I can say we have managed to firm up Tribu Guardo ,” he said. (LCR)
