Thursday, April 26, 2007 Espinoza: Osmeña’s forlorn look By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
MARY Ann de los Santos’ popularity may be limited to Lahug where she is the barangay captain but her running for mayor in Cebu City has given reelectionist Mayor Tomas Osmeña a headache.
Not only can de los Santos speak well and is sensible, she also has the charisma unlike Osmeña, who is not only arrogant but is also self-centered.
De los Santos may not have much money to contend with the millions of pesos her opponent has but she can give Mayor Tomas a run for his money in the May 14 polls.
Osmeña must have regretted the day he humiliated de los Santos over the yarn that she was willing to accept the money earlier offered to her so she would run for mayor because she would use it to buy medicines for her ailing father.
My reading is that de los Santos would not have run for mayor had Mayor Tomas not insulted and embarrassed her over the rumor that she was offered money to run for city mayor.
De los Santos may not have the support of majority of the barangay captains but her candidacy has put Osmeña on his toes. In the People’s Forum that de los Santos and Mayor Tomas attended, the latter looked forlorn.
Of course, the mayor’s sad look can’t be considered an indication of his impending defeat in the elections.
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Distribution of insurance cards to voters by candidates is one of the crude forms of vote buying. But it worked at the time when actor Fernando Poe, Jr. challenged President Arroyo in the 2004 elections.
Reelectionist Rep. Tony Cuenco tried to use the same scheme but when his challenger, businessman Jonathan Guardo, complained the congressman claimed he already stopped the practice.
Congressman Cuenco’s defense is what we call in legal parlance as negative pregnant. Meaning, the denial in a way admits the truth.
The insurance cards that Congressman Cuenco gave to tricycle drivers in his district bore his photograph and the words “Lakas-CMD Party.” The card allegedly bestowed party membership to the holder.
Vote buying is one of the election offenses defined in the Omnibus Election Code. The distribution of insurance cards, which has value in them, certainly amounts to vote buying.
On this aspect, Guardo scored over Cuenco who, in his political ad, declared that his district is not for sale, apparently referring to his claim that Guardo bought some of his district leaders.
With this turn of events in Cebu City’s south congressional district, it would appear that Cuenco was the one who employed vote buying through the distribution of insurance cards in his district.
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Reelectionist Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio showed statesmanship and high sense of delicadeza when she and other politicians did not join in the caravan they prepared for boxing hero Manny Pacquiao upon his arrival in General Santos city.
The petite legislator, who is with the opposition, knew well that she would be facing Pacquiao in the congressional race in her district but this did not prevent her from meeting and greeting Pacquiao at the airport. Her act deserves emulation by other politicians.
If in the unlikely event Pacquiao will be elected congressman, he should hang up his gloves. We will become an international laughingstock if he continues his boxing career while serving as congressman of his district.
