Thursday, June 28, 2007 Tomas-Gwen spat hurting Cebu: Gus Go
AT LEAST two more business leaders in Cebu admitted yesterday they are worried by the increasingly acrimonious rift between Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Lawyer Augusto Go, honorary consul to South Korea, said that while he was attending a trustees’ meeting in Manila yesterday, most businessmen he met asked him why the governor and the mayor are fighting.
“Both of them were elected by overwhelming margins. They should respect the voters who gave them the trust and confidence. They should act together and in unity for the good of Cebu,” Go said. Go is the president and founder of the University of Cebu.
Eric Ng Mendoza, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), said that during their business conferences, the quarrel between Garcia and Osmena has been talked about and become the butt of jokes.
Mendoza also told dyLA, however, that disagreements among government officials are part of a democratic society.
Both the governor and the mayor have said they don’t think the business sector should worry about their disagreement, adding that they only intend to protect their constituents’ interests.
But since most business owners don’t know the long-term impact, if any, of the quarrel between Garcia and Osmeña, some of them have adopted a “wait-and-see” attitude, said Go.
“Definitely, nothing positive can come out of it,” he added.
Go also told dyLA radio, in a separate interview, that the business sector is worried about the two executives’ squabbling over land ownership, because this could lead to the closure of roads.
He cited as an example one time when he couldn’t take the shortest route to a hospital after the governor ordered the closure of some roads near Fuente Osmeña.
“It’s very funny but it could affect people’s lives. They should stop it,” Go said.
He also urged the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry to do something to stop the quarrel, saying it could eventually affect the business environment. (EOB)
