Thursday, March 01, 2007 Ted’s sister Joy may run v. Jonkie By Aledel Gonzalez-Cuizon Sun.Star Staff Reporter
IS there another Ouano running for mayor in Mandaue this May?
Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president and City Councilor Jovita Tuela “Joy” Ouano said yesterday she is running for public office this year but wouldn’t say for what position.
However, she hinted it wouldn’t be for a seat in Congress but for a local position.
But a reliable source confirmed yesterday that she already went to the Commission on Elections in Mandaue City and secured a form issued to those running for mayor.
If she runs for mayor, she would face off with her nep-hew, Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano, son of her elder brother, Mayor Thadeo “Teddy” Ouano, 60. Teddy and Joy are at odds.
If this is the case, two Ouanos will join the race together with Vice Mayor Amadeo Seno Jr., Councilor Jonas Cortes and former city councilor Magno Dionson.
In an interview yesterday, Joy Ouano told Sun.Star Cebu she is running because she sees there is still much to be done in Mandaue.
She clarified that she is not running to spite Teddy, but wants to continue working as a public servant.
“I’ve made my move long before but he called me kagaw sa politika (a political parasite),” Joy said.
She added that with her ongoing rift with her brother, she was stripped of her credibility and became a victim of “character assassination.”
Sun.Star Cebu called up Jonkie yesterday but he refused to comment, saying a family issue is involved.
Joy was interviewed for almost two hours yesterday morning over radio dyAB, where she said she has been waiting for anybody to reconcile her with Teddy.
“Ako, gipatay na, gilubong. Maski gilubong, gigukod pa (I have been killed and buried alive, yet they continue to run after me),” she said.
Maybe
Asked if she will be running against her nephew, Jonkie, she only replied, “Maybe,” and added it was too soon to answer the question.
Joy said the rift started in 2001, when Teddy, who had finished his first term as mayor, refused to heed an earlier agreement.
According to Joy, the plan was for their father, former mayor Alfredo “Pedong” Ouano, to run for mayor again while Teddy would run for Congress.
Teddy also reportedly asked her to transfer her residence to Lapu-Lapu City, whether she won or lost in the 2004 congressional race.
She said she was ready to leave the house but would ask for P5 million in compensation, yet Teddy reportedly changed his mind.
“I love my father but he has to face reality. The good, the bad. Kinsa’y good, kinsa’y bad. Dose mi ka anak. Kung duna’y dunot, dili ako ang dunot (There are 12 of us. If there’s anyone rotten, that’s not me),” Joy said.
Pedong, however, told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday his patience for Joy has run out and he will just let her be. He said he didn’t even want her to run for Congress in 2004 but she went on with her plan.
“Amahan ko, sige lang ko paubos sa akong mga anak. Ambot lang kung naa pa ba’y sama nako nga ginikanan sa Mandaue (I’m the father, yet I keep humbling myself before my children. I don’t know if there’s any parent like me in Mandaue),” he said. Nuisance
Asked about the possibility of Joy facing off with Jonkie in the May 14 election, Pedong said that Joy might just become a nuisance candidate because she doesn’t have funds.
He added that Joy would have been the candidate for mayor this year.
Pedong said he tuned in to Joy’s interview yesterday morning but later on didn’t want to continue listening. He added that he has tried to reconcile his son and daughter but his efforts would just prove useless.
He also stressed that he treats his children equally and doesn’t play favorites.
Joy, who refused to publicly comment about the rift with her brother in recent years, also said yesterday that Teddy moved for her ouster from the ABC.
“Igsoon nimo, unya i-oust nimo, you can afford to do that (to a sibling)?” she said.
“For those people who don’t love me and don’t understand me, that’s your prerogative. You can’t please everybody. This is me, this is Joy,” she said.
Joy also revealed that when Pedong’s term ended in 1998, she had the chance to run for mayor but instead gave it to Teddy, who was living in the United States.
Asked if she would accept an apology from Teddy, she asked about sincerity instead. “You can have an angel face but act like a devil,” she said.
