Monday, January 29, 2007 Health cards doleout turns into early sortie By Rene H. Martel Sun.Star Staff Reporter
ASIDE from hobnobbing with constituents, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Rep. Antonio Cuenco used yesterday’s distribution of health insurance cards as an opportunity to introduce two potential candidates.
Osmeña also asked the residents to “protect” the South Road Properties (SRP) against attempts to have it annexed by neighboring Talisay City.
This was an indirect dig at former congressman Jose “Dodong” Gullas, who is rumored to be planning to challenge Osmeña in the May elections.
With Cuenco and City Administrator Francisco Fernandez in tow, Osmeña also asked those gathered to support Fernandez’s wife Tessie, who is party-list Abanse! Pinay’s first nominee.
A party-list organization that gets at least two percent of the votes cast in the party-list elections can send its first nominee to the House of Representatives. (Each party-list group can win a maximum of three seats.)
The mayor likewise introduced at the Guadalupe Sports Center Richie Osmeña, a son of former vice mayor Renato Osmeña, who is being considered as a south district candidate for councilor. Tomas and Renato are cousins.
Although hundreds were supposed to be given their cards yesterday, only a few received theirs, as what was done was just a ceremonial gesture so Cuenco and Osmeña could have enough time visit each recipient barangay.
Some 35,000 Philhealth cards funded by President Arroyo and Senator Sergio Osmeña III were distributed.
Osmeña also reacted to businessman and sports patron Jonathan Guardo’s criticism of the move.
Guardo earlier said that the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) apparently feels threatened by inroads he made in the south district, which is why Osmeña and Cuenco started distributing Philhealth cards there.
“Anytime there is an opponent, we are going to work hard. What does he want us to do, die down? Is he crazy? Of course, we will campaign very hard,” the mayor said.
Osmeña added that wooing the people who will use the Philhealth cards “is a question of good politics and bad politics.”
“Good politics is when you deliver more services. Bad politics is when you intimidate. I’m not a hypocrite. This is politics, of course. But it is also service,” he said.
Besides, he added, he and Cuenco had been working on the plan “for a long time” because the Tony and Tommy medical assistance program was not that effective in the south district.
In a separate interview, Tessie Fernandez said she had no intention of entering politics, as she is just content with her social work.
“Pero ang Abanse! Pinay niingon man gud nga dili sila mag-field og nominees kon dili ko mosugot maoy (Abanse! Pinay said they would not field other nominees unless I agreed to be their) first nominee,” she said, in explaining what convinced her to accept the offer.
Telling the Cebuanos to vote for the party-list organization, Osmeña said he owed it to Tessie Fernandez that Cebu City was chosen by the United Nations as the most woman-friendly city in the Asia-Pacific region last year.
Fernandez had initiated the Banay Banay program, which establishes a network of linkages aimed at monitoring domestic violence in homes, especially against women.
The program has been replicated in other places by Abanse! Pinay.
In a separate interview, Richie said that he is being considered as a possible replacement for Councilors Jocelyn Pesquera and Procopio Fernandez, who are on their last terms.
But whether he runs or not will be up to the mayor, he added.
Richie, who said he is into the construction and seafood business, said he has always wanted to help. “And one way is to really try to get in the council,” he said.
