Thursday, May 17, 2007 BOPK ‘won’t help’ Abellanosa if he faces case over calendar
SINCE Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa’s “illegal” campaign material was not sanctioned by their party, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will hold him responsible for it.
Osmeña said yesterday that Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) will also not help Abellanosa in any way if the latter faces a disqualification case as a result of the distribution of the material.
“It did not have our blessing, absolutely not. He has to answer for that. He did not consult us on that so why should we support him? And I don’t believe she should have done it anyway,” the mayor said.
Abellanosa’s supporters allegedly distributed the pocket-sized calendar bearing his name and photo outside polling places last Monday.
Fund assistance
The names of all BOPK candidates were listed inside the card, as well as a “Certificate of Educational Fund Assistance,” which entitles the bearer of the certificate or their dependents to P2,000.
In a phone interview yesterday afternoon, Abellanosa said he was unaware of the printing and distribution of the card, and that he is still trying to find out who is behind it.
He declined from commenting further on the issue.
Initial results of the canvassing of votes by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) showed that Abellanosa is leading the council race with 4,704 votes, as of 11:30 p.m. last May 15.
The campaign material was reportedly distributed after survey results showed that Abellanosa placed only second among the eight BOPK council bets in the south district.
“That material is one of the grievances the other councilors have against Bebot... It’s a basic policy of BOPK that on the last few days of the campaign, we will focus only on the marginalized candidates and junk those who are doing well during our campaign,” said Osmeña.
In an interview during the canvassing of votes at the Department of Education (DepEd) Ecotech Center yesterday, he also told reporters he is planning to file a case against Tribu Guardo’s vice mayoral candidate, lawyer Raymond Alvin Garcia.
Osmeña alleged that Garcia exceeded the allowable number and size of political advertisements published in the Garcia-owned Sun.Star Cebu and Superbalita.
Club
Garcia also allegedly misrepresented himself in the publication of an advertisement bearing his name, which was supposedly paid for by the Cebu Country Club officers.
“I might file a case against Raymond and it will be difficult to defend against that because I have a copy of the same letter Country Club gave Sun.Star that they never authorized that ad,” Osmeña said.
In a phone interview last night, Garcia admitted the ad material was not placed by the Cebu Country Club officers, but by the golfers’ club of the Cebu Country Club.
He explained that there was an error in the preparation of the advertisement, which he is still investigating.
But if any complaint should be filed against him in relation to the ad, it should be the Country Club officers, and not Osmeña, who should sue, said Garcia.
“That was a mistake, that was an error on the part of Sun.Star because it should have read poker or golfer club. I am still investigating the Sun.Star production team on that. But if ever there is a complaint, he does not have the legal personality to file it, it’s supposed to be Country Club, of which he (Osmeña) is not a member,” Garcia added. (LCR)
