Thursday, April 24, 2008 Espinoza: The Cordova dilemma By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
I WAS taken aback at how local legislators and politicians responded to the question on where Cordova should belong once the plan to redistrict the congressional districts of Cebu as a consequence to the rise of the population materializes.
I don’t see the proposal of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena, who wants Cebu City to annex Cordova, as the appropriate remedy. I don’t think Cordovanhons would like the idea of losing their identity and becoming a mere barangay of Cebu City.
Cebu City Councilor Jack Jakosalem told me he did not give much thought about the annexation idea. Perhaps Jack hates the notion of travelling to Cordova either by car or boat to campaign.
I suppose that Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (Cebu, 6th district) did not even think of lumping Cordova with Lapu-Lapu City to compose a new congressional district.
Instead, there’s this suggestion to create a new district by making Olango Island a municipality and then pairing it with Cordova. I don’t know which would take time, the conversion of Olango into a town or the creation of a new district.
Making Cordova and Consolacion a congressional district is also not legally possible because they are not contiguous and their total population is below the requirement.
So what about Consolacion? Simple. Pair it with Mandaue City to form a district, after all, previous administrations failed to make a lone congressional district out of Mandaue. And Mandaue politicians would cheer because this would spare them the trouble of campaigning in the Mactan islands.
Is there a hidden political agenda in the redistricting plan? I have not heard of suggestions to make Mandaue and Consolacion, as well as Lapu-Lapu and Cordova, separate congressional districts.
After 10 years or more, when our population will have almost reached the ceiling, the dream of Provincial Board Member Vic Maambong to make Olango a town would be realized. Then an Olango-Cordova district can be set up.
Meanwhile, Consolacion and Liloan can become a district once the Duranos of Danao City will no longer object to giving up Liloan for the purpose. By this time Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue will already qualify as lone congressional districts.
A hate message against “Imperial Manila” following the Ombudsman ruling on the lampposts scandal is being circulated through cell phones. My cell phone wasn’t spared.
Through their respective spokesperson, former Mandaue City mayor Thadeo Ouano and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza professed innocence of the graft charges. “They are just sacrificial lambs,” said the text messages.
But what’s objectionable with the Ombudsman ruling is that even if Ouano already finished his term, he was still ordered dismissed. It was like rubbing salt on an unhealed wound.
The text message claims that those directly responsible (although no names were mentioned) in awarding the contract and the purchase of the lampposts were instead spared from the charges, shame and humiliation.
Radaza and Ouano signed the program of works and estimates (Powe) that the Department of Public Works and Highways allegedly prepared for the purchase of the lampposts. Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña refused to sign so he was spared. But the lampposts were still delivered and installed in Cebu City, making Ouano and Radaza wonder.
The Ombudsman did not give credit to the argument of Ouano and Radaza that the bidding was held in Manila and the funds were national. Otherwise, national officials would have been dragged into the case.
