Wednesday, April 23, 2008 Cebu City can’t claim Cordova: Tony
BECAUSE it violates the Constitution, the Cebu City Government cannot include the Municipality of Cordova in the new district that city officials want to create, south district Rep. Antonio Cuenco said.
He said he would agree to the division of his district and the creation of a new one if the population requirement is met, but Cordova town cannot be a part of it.
In a phone interview yesterday, the legislator said his stand on the matter has nothing to do with his rift with Mayor Tomas Osmeña, which stemmed from a misunderstanding during the barangay elections last October.
Unconstitutional
“If there is enough number of people in the south district to create a new district, I will support that but including Cordova there will be difficult. It’s unconstitutional, it cannot be done,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
He said he has been discussing the issue on additional Cebu congressional districts with Rep. Pablo “Pabling” Garcia (Cebu, 2nd district) and other legislators.
Cuenco cited a provision of the Constitution mandating that barangays or towns composing one congressional district should be contiguous.
Garcia and other Capitol officials have already pointed out the same provision of the law earlier, and said that Cordova will have to remain a part of the province.
“I respect the mayor’s opinion but it cannot be done. This issue on the creation of new districts is beyond friendship. I have no problem with Tommy, I also have no problem with Pabling. It’s only incidental that Congressman Garcia’s opinion jibes with my opinion and the law,” he said.
Cuenco, though, said that he is willing to discuss the matter with Osmeña and other City officials.
For the first time, the legislator confirmed the falling out between him and the mayor, which stemmed from his trip to the United States at the height of the campaign for the barangay elections last year.
Treatment
He said he had to leave for the US to seek medical treatment for his vertigo during the campaign, which reportedly upset the mayor.
City Hall sources said Osmeña was irked when Cuenco abruptly left and did not help the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan-allied barangay captains in their campaign.
The barangay captains campaigned intensely for Cuenco when businessman Jonathan Guardo ran against him in the May 2007 elections.
“The mayor is disappointed because I allegedly left posthaste without informing him. There’s nothing else and I already apologized for that. I don’t think he accepted it because he has not been inviting me anymore for activities,” he said.
As for the creation of new districts, Cuenco said the City will still have to consult their constituents before proposing it.
City officials will also have to discuss it with him because as representative of the district the mayor is proposing to divide, Cuenco himself will have to propose the bill in Congress.
“I suppose I will have to be the one to file it because that is my district; they will have to get my approval. If they don’t do that, they will have a problem,” Cuenco said. (LCR)
