Thursday, March 08, 2007 Editorials: Ouano vs. Osmeña on deco lamps
THE Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas is still in the early phase of its investigation into the controversial purchase of decorative lamps for the Asean summit that Cebu hosted in January.
As expected, the initial information dredged up has scandalized a good number of people and tempted many to form their own conclusions and condemn whoever they think made a killing out of the purchase.
While the reaction is not objectionable, emotions should be reined in and the basic demands of objectivity and fairness observed in sifting through available facts.
And it should not deflect our attention from the central issues.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s tirades against Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano, for example, has re-ignited and even intensified the verbal war between the two officials and threatened to muddle instead of clear up the issue.
The exchange is not productive because it does not add anything to the evidence that the anti-graft office has already gotten hold of and concerns only Ouano, who is but one of the personalities possibly involved in the purchase.
While it may serve the purpose of making Ouano look bad and Osmeña look good, it tends to draw people’s attention away from the other protagonists, like the Department of Public Works and Highways from where the transaction originated.
It would be prudent, then, to shift the focus back to the investigation conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman and pressure probers to speed up the effort to pinpoint specific violations of the law in the purchase and identify those responsible for it.
Local opposition’s dilemma
The appointment of Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s brother, Serge, as campaign manager of the senatorial candidates of the Genuine Opposition (GO) has the effect of putting the political opposition in Cebu City in a dilemma.
While the mayor has insisted that his brother is not concerned with local politics, the question for the local opposition will always be on whether Serge will support moves that would strengthen the hand of his brother’s political rivals.
Because of this, the opposition will have to choose whether to remain with the GO and hope Serge will just fold his arms or plot an independent course by not aligning itself with a national party.
