Wednesday, March 21, 2007 Tomas to help Jonas win Mandaue polls
CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will help Mandaue City mayoral candidate Jonas Cortes to set up his political machinery “so he can provide an alternative to the people of Mandaue.”
And if Cortes is elected mayor, Osmeña said he will help him and Mandaue City in any way he can.
“I said it before and I’ll say it again. Mandaue is dragging Cebu down the drain because of its mayor, and the same goes for Lapu-Lapu City. We spend so much effort in promoting Cebu and to me, it’s very painful when you read about the Cebu scam in the newspapers,” he told reporters yesterday, referring to the lamppost controversy.
“And when someone wants to offer a viable alternative for the people, of course I’ll help... And if Jonas, God willing, becomes mayor, of course we will help him,” Osmeña continued.
The mayor attended a press conference last Sunday where he announced that he will support the candidacy of Cortes for mayor and Provincial Board Member Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing as congressman in the sixth district.
He clarified he was merely extending his support for the two and he did not endorse them, as he is not in the position to make any endorsement where Mandaue City’s politics is concerned.
“But since time is running short and they’re up against a very formidable machinery, we have to provide a certain level of technical assistance,” Osmeña said.
Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan’s (BOPK) assistance to Cortes’ party will not be financial in nature, the mayor said, but in the setting up of a machinery in preparation for the May 14 elections.
“It’s more on helping them to organize and how to move…. We’ll help them set up procedures on how to offset precisely the established the machinery they’re up against...and how to set up operations with minimum amount of manpower...these are things I believe BOPK is experienced in,” said Osmeña.
Cortes is running against Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano, son of incumbent mayor Thadeo “Teddy” Ouano.
Specifically, BOPK will teach Cortes’ party how to hold six pulong-pulong in just two hours, how to organize their watchers during election day, how to manage transportation and communications and the legal aspect of the campaign and election.
But this will require training and coordination, which BOPK will provide.
Jonkie’s aunt, Jovita “Joy” Ouano sought Osmeña’s endorsement for her candidacy as Mandaue City mayor last month but Osmeña said he prefers to endorse Cortes.
For the mayor, Joy Ouano came across as motivated by hatred and personal issues, “and in the case of Jonas, he provided a viable alternative for the people of Mandaue.” (LCR)
