Delos Santos, former mayor Alvin Garcia’s son Raymond, and six other Genuine Opposition (GO) bets submitted their certificates of candidacy (COCs) yesterday morning, ending questions on whether she is ready to take on Osmeña.
But Osmeña, who has been in office from 1988 to 1995 and from 2001 until the present, is not worried that delos Santos finally submitted her papers at the Commission on Elections.
Delos Santos, he said, is not his real opponent this election year but Sun.Star Cebu, The Freeman and radio personalities who back her up.
The mayor was interviewed after the mass offered by the ruling party Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan at the Alliance of Two Hearts church in Banawa yesterday afternoon.
Delos Santos decided to run after receiving the blessings of her siblings, who are in the United States.
She said that as a sign of their support, one of them is coming home to help lead her campaign.
“It was a family consensus. They gave me their blessings. That’s why I’m here,” she said.
She said they will be alternative candidates, and asked the Cebuanos to help her make history in being the first woman to serve as Cebu City mayor, and “in changing the political landscape in the city.”
“Give me an opportunity to do a man’s job, and hopefully I will do it better,” delos Santos said.
As of yesterday morning, only Arthur Abregonde, George Chang, Laureano Rogero, lawyer Fritz Quiñanola, and former city councilor Danilo Fernan filed their COCs for the GO.
GO Cebu City chairman Jonathan Guardo, in a separate interview, said they will hold a caravan for their campaign’s opening salvo early morning today, the start of the campaign period.
Among the issues they will raise is on the South Road Properties, “which is bleeding the City dry;” unsolved vigilante killings; non-delivery of basic services; and high taxes.
If elected, delos Santos said she will be a mayor who feels for the underprivileged and underdogs like her.
“I will be a mayor with a big heart because that is what is lacking in the City of Cebu. Just give me a chance to prove myself,” she added.
Raymond, for his part, promised that if elected, he will serve as bridge between the beneficiaries of Capitol’s Ordinance 93-1 and his aunt, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who is seeking another mandate in the May 14 polls.
Talks between the City and Capitol on the move to swap the City’s properties with the Province-owned lots, which are occupied by those covered by Ordinance 93-1, fell through.
Raymond is the manager of Sun.Star Cebu’s human resources department.
Osmeña had criticized Guardo, south district congressional candidate, for allegedly using money to field candidates under his party.
Guardo reportedly offered delos Santos an initial P5 million to run for mayor.
Today, Osmeña said they will focus their activities on going to the different sitios for their pulong-pulong.
Meanwhile, former National Bureau of Investigation 7 director Florencio Villarin and Juan Arenasa submitted their COCs to again try their luck against north district Rep. Raul del Mar.
Villarin, who was with the GO candidates, declined to issue any statement when Sun.Star Cebu tried to interview him.
Around 5:30 p.m., Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa submitted his certificate for another term as south district council representative, after failing to join the rest of the BO-PK bets Wednesday morning.
Also joining the south district race were three independent candidates for councilor—retired police officer Neville Campos, Enrico Balansag and Nestor Legaspi Jr.
Half an hour after Abellanosa filed his papers at the Comelec office, a certain Leah Remedio also showed up with her COC for mayor.
Remedio told Sun.Star Cebu that she is a registered voter of Barangay Punta Princesa, and admitted that she would have wanted to run for south district councilor.
I prepared two COCs, for mayor and for councilor. But I accidentally had Comelec marked the one for mayor. Perhaps, it is God’s will that I become mayor,” she said.
