Tuesday, May 15, 2007 Yapha keeps Gwen’s face in mind as he casts ballot
REELECTIONIST Mayor Tomas Osmeńa vowed to score a lead of 100,000 votes over rival Mary Ann delos Santos, while delos Santos said only cheating from the rival camp will make her lose.
But while she voted in Lahug Elementary School at 11 a.m., two huge banners hanging from a skywalk expressing support for her had created a stir. Two more tarpaulins were found in an intersection near JY Square Mall.
She said she had no idea who placed the banners there.
In Talisay City, administration supporters expect Mayor Socrates Fernandez to win, after his rival Gabriel Leyson allegedly got deserted by his supporters for lack of funds.
Reports said many of Leyson’s followers withdrew their support because they did not receive the promised incentives ranging from P500 to P1,000.
In Cebu Province, it was the face of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia that gubernatorial candidate Antonio Yapha was thinking of when he voted yesterday.
Yapha earlier urged the Cebuanos to remember Garcia’s face while inside the voting booth.
“They will look at Garcia and me and differentiate. They will know who is always picking a fight and who is prone to anger.”
For her part, Garcia spent about 10 minutes inside St. Francis of Assisi Church in Dumanjug, Cebu before she cast her vote in that town.
But when she got inside the polling precinct in Barangay Ilaya, she was surprised to see that her name in the voters list still carried the surname Codilla.
Garcia’s annulment was granted in 2005.
In Mandaue City, the sight of poll watchers bearing Lakas-CMD identification cards with the signature of an “unauthorized person” prompted mayoral candidate Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano to ask the Comelec to take action.
Ouano wrote City Election Officer Ferdinand Gujilde that he is the only person authorized by Lakas to assign poll watchers in Mandaue City. Ouano is chairman of Lakas in Mandaue City.
Ouano cast his vote as soon as the Don Gerardo Ouano Memorial National High School in Barangay Opao opened.
Mayoral candidates Amadeo Seno Jr. and Jonas Cortes met and shook hands at the Mandaue City Central School past 10 a.m. yesterday. (GC/MBG/KNT/AAG/Ace Matthew Togonon, Camella Bianca G. Villares, Roxgane Coca)
