Thursday, November 22, 2007 Espinoza: Osmeña’s 2010 election agenda By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
TROPICAL storm Lando came like a thief in the night, surprising everyone, including officials of Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
The storm, which hit Cebu City an hour earlier than forecasted, toppled some electric posts and trees causing traffic problems in the city. Power lines were cut off and some areas in the city had no water supply.
Pagasa officials got the blame for the lack of warning about the storm’s entry. Students and workers were stranded for hours. In Mandaue City, traffic was terrible at around 5 p.m., which was aggravated by the lack of traffic enforcers.
Marilou and I were at a shopping mall at about 4 p.m. and were unaware of what happened outside. But we noticed the lights inside the mall go out for few minutes, forcing us to leave the mall right away.
It was windy at the car park. I only realized that a storm had hit Cebu when I saw toppled trees on my way to the Colegio de la Immaculada Concepcion in Mandaue to pick our Dominic.
And not only did we have to cope the following day with the damage left by the storm, we also had to deal with the nasty practice of some utility firms not answering telephone calls for inquiry.
I had to call the legal department of MCWD and ask the secretary to find out from the water distribution head when water in Talamban will be restored, as nobody answered my calls at the complaint/inquiry desk.
This practice of some utility firms sucks. It is bad PR stunt.
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With only more than two years away from the 2010 presidential elections, some presidential wannabes are already visible in public.
Leading the pack is Sen. Dick Gordon, who was in Cebu City last month as speaker of the gathering of government employees. While Gordon was not categorical about his presidential ambitions, he said in jest that he is available.
Senate President Manny Villar, meanwhile, was guest speaker in the oath taking of newly elected Mandaue barangay captains and SK officials allied with Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz and former Mandaue City Mayor Teddy Ouano.
“Mr. Palengke” Mar Roxas joined Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes in a meeting of leaders to draft the so-called Vis-Min Agenda, whatever that is.
The Visayas-Mindanao Agenda must be so important to Cortes he had to delegate his functions as mayor to Councilor Dadie Suico just to be with Osmeña and Roxas in Davao City.
Cortes must have owed Osmeña a lot in the last political exercise that he goes wherever Tomas goes. Or does Osmeña badly need Cortes to boost his (Tomas’) 2010 political agenda?
Call this wild rumor, but a source told me Osmeña is targeting the post of vice president in the 2010 polls, with Roxas as candidate for president.
The Vis-Min Agenda may thus be one of the schemes that Roxas and Osmeña hatched to feel the pulse of leaders in the big cities of Visayas and Mindanao to their bids in the 2010 elections.
Roxas is from Iloilo and Cebu is Osmeña’s considered political bailiwick. But why did they include Mindanao?
Well, they probably think that the Visayas and Mindanao votes are more than enough to elect a president and vice president, thus the Vis-Min Agenda.
