Sunday, December 16, 2007 Guardo to run for ABC chief
THE opposition is fielding Sambag 1’s Jerry Guardo as its candidate for Cebu City Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president, taking advantage of what appears to be division among administration-allied village leaders.
With Guadalupe’s Eugenio Faelnar and Talamban’s Alvin Arcilla contesting the same post, the barangay chiefs of Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) are expected to be split.
“I’m fielding Jerry to run for the (ABC president) post. Before, we were thinking that Arcilla is already a shoo-in because the mayor endorsed him. But with Jingjing Faelnar running, the BO-PK will be divided, while we are intact,” said Jonathan Guardo, opposition leader.
With just 15 barangay captains confirmed as being identified with the opposition, Jerry appears doomed from the start.
But Jonathan, who lost in his congressional bid last May, said he is confident he can convince 20 BO-PK barangay captains to vote for his brother during the Dec. 29 ABC election.
“That is why we decided to have Jerry run. I can see an opening, and we have a chance kay mabahin gyud na sila (because they will be split),” he said.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña, BO-PK standard bearer, is conducting a secret balloting through text messages with the barangay leaders to get their consensus.
The mayor has said he will reveal who won in the balloting before he leaves for the US for the Christmas holiday on Dec. 22.
He expects the loser to back down and have the winner run as BO-PK’s sole candidate.
Interviewed earlier, Faelnar said he will respect the result of the balloting, but wondered if Arcilla’s camp would.
Busay Barangay Captain Eliodoro “Yody” Sanchez said they would as they, too, are confident of Arcilla’s chances, knowing that it was he whom Osmeña endorsed.
Sanchez, who is running under Arcilla’s ticket as an ABC board member, said he will stick it out with the Talamban leader even if the others will leave and go to Faelnar.
Faelnar last month announced he will not run for ABC president again and endorsed Arcilla, who also received the mayor’s blessing.
But he changed his mind after the ABC assembly last week, and said he wanted to finish the projects he started in his 2002 to 2007 term.
Both Faelnar and Arcilla, who delivered the widest vote margin for him in the May elections, are the mayor’s close allies.
Basak San Nicolas Barangay Captain George Rama, who endorsed Faelnar, said he already got the mayor and Vice Mayor Michael Rama’s assurance that the City Government’s elected officials would not intervene in the ABC elections.
The ABC president serves as an ex-officio member of the City Council.
As Jonathan Guardo expected, neither Faelnar nor Arcilla showed signs of backing off.
“Before, it would have been difficult going up against one BO-PK candidate. But I don’t believe both camps (Arcilla and Faelnar’s), will back down. So this is the best time,” Jonathan said.
He said that Lahug Barangay Captain Mary Ann de los Santos was a “reluctant candidate” for ABC president, so the group opted to have his brother run instead.
Jerry, he said, agreed to abide by the decision of their group. (RHM)
