Friday, June 15, 2007 Gwen open to race v. Tomas in 2010 polls
LAWYERS can continue arguing about the legality of giving back to Cebu City residents their right to vote for provincial officials but as for her, this is always a welcome suggestion, said Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
Mayor Tomas Osme-ña is even welcome to run as governor, she added. She considers it “a privilege to be running against a great, well-respected and well-beloved mayor like Tomas Osmeña.”
“If Mayor Osmeña will run for governor, I will consider him a most worthy opponent.… He will be my Mayweather if you would like to look at me as Manny Pacquiao. Pero mas mura man ko og si Darlene Custodio,” she told reporters.
But Osmeña said he is not planning to run for governor in 2010, and finds this aspect “irrelevant” to the discussions on “one Cebu.”
“No, I’m not running anymore. The important thing here is why are they reacting differently to the proposal? In the past two years, they shouted from the top of the mountain to the shorelines of Cebu that there should only be one Cebu. Why is the reaction different now, mora’g dili na sila ganahan? (Are they not amenable to it anymore?),” the mayor said.
In a radio dyLA interview yesterday noon, Osmeña said local leaders should think of what will be best for Cebu, and his or Garcia’s agenda.
Attachment
As a solution to their conflict, Osmeña proposed to make the city part of the province, raising speculations that he has plans to run for governor in the 2010 elections.
“Nahadlok na sila kay dinhi sa (They are just scared because here in) Cebu City, remember that our governor has been persecuting not only the occupants of Province-owned lots but also the motorists, when she closed the road in Larsian, when she asked the police and other agencies to vacate Capitol lots,” he said when asked what he thought was the reason for Capitol’s resistance to his proposal.
Garcia confirmed that as far as two years ago, when three bills were filed to create Cebu del Sur, Cebu del Norte and Cebu Occidental, Osmeña already raised to her the proposal to include Cebu City voters in the selection of provincial officials.
“I had welcomed it, and I will still welcome it. It is consistent with my one Cebu advocacy. I understand, though, that this has now been given a political twist. Nasuko siya nako, nagpakita siyag kalagot nako, pwede siya mudagan sa Talisay (He’s furious with me, so he can run in Talisay),” she said.
As for Garcia’s suggestion that he transfer to Talisay City so he can vote for governor and other Capitol officials, Mayor Osmeña answered: “Instead of me transferring to Talisay, why don’t they move out of Capitol and transfer to Talisay? They can move out, I don’t care. Mas maayo pa... Ila pang insultohon ang mayor, so nigawas gyud ilang batasan na naa silay (That’s better. They just insult the mayor; it shows they have a) political agenda.”
Fuente row
Garcia said “no one knows what the future holds” when she was asked if she would be willing to run for mayor of Cebu City.
“Tan-awon nato (We shall see). We might be in for the big surprise of our lives; it might be pleasant, it might not be pleasant,” she said.
In her press conference yesterday, Governor Garcia further said she already ran against an Osmeña. Tomas’ nephew, former vice governor John Gregory Osmeña, was one of her opponents in the 2004 gubernatorial race. Last May 14, she said, she also asked Cebu’s mayors to make sure former senator John “Sonny” Osmeña will not land in the top 12 and, “The mayors listened.”
She said she will always work “for the bright future of Cebu as one whole island.”
Meanwhile, the Fuente Police Station, which is located across the park, was asked to respond to any possible takeover of the rotunda by the Capitol.
In a phone interview yesterday, Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. said he has requested Cebu City Police Acting Director Patrocinio Commendador to have the Fuente Osmeña circle secured by members of the Barangay Intelligence Network.
The ownership of the Fuente Osmeña circle is just one of the issues that City and Capitol officials are bickering about. (JPM/LCR)
