Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Younger Cuenco vows to support Banawa, says pa
RONALD Cuenco wants to return to Cebu City.
Not for a political comeback, though, but to lead the movement to divide Barangay Guadalupe to create a new barangay Banawa-Englis, said Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south).
Cuenco said he spoke with his son recently and was told that Ronald was interested to help the Banawa Separation Movement and not to take his place as south district congressman.
“Iyang sulti nako last week, when he learned about my proposal to revive the creation of barangay Banawa-Englis, nga motabang siya (that he will help). After all, it was he and Vice Mayor Michael Rama who took the lead on this matter in the council,” Cuenco said.
He clarified, though, that he will not dictate or impose himself and his decisions on his son. “It’s up to him. I can’t make the decision for my son. I will not prod him to either pursue or not to pursue his political career,” Cuenco said.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña last Monday said accepting Ronald Cuenco back would depend on the circumstances of his return.
If Ronald comes back because his congressman father asked him to, the mayor said, then the former city councilor would not be welcome because he will just be a representative of Congressman Cuenco, with whom Osmeña has refused to speak.
Cuenco earlier said that while Ronald is contented with his life in the US now, his son might return to join politics again.
He also promised “to agree to anything” that City Hall wishes for him to support, just so the Cebu City Government will approve the holding of a plebiscite for the creation of the new barangay.
“I will agree to anything that will convince the mayor, the vice mayor, and everybody in City Hall to pursue the division. I will agree to anything. If they want me to fade out of the picture, I will. I’m not out to seek political credit out of this,” Cuenco said.
His first option was to have the City Council reenact a resolution setting aside P100,000 for the plebiscite.
The process is shorter, he said, compared to the second option, which is to ask the House of Representatives to approve the division of Guadalupe and set aside funds for the process.
“That would have to go through the Senate and require the President’s signature. That is why I’m hoping the mayor and the city will give Englis and Banawa what is due them. I hope they will not hold any monkey wrench anymore,” Cuenco said.
Vice Mayor Rama said the other day that while it is okay for the council to reenact the appropriation, the proposal should come from and be approved by the executive department.
Osmeña earlier criticized Cuenco’s alleged haste in reviving the proposal and his motives for it, which the mayor said was Cuenco’s way of getting back at Barangay Captain Eugenio Faenar.
Yesterday afternoon, Cuenco, who was in Manila, said he will return to Cebu over the weekend and have city officials peruse his bill.
If the city council refuses to allocate P100,000 for the plebiscite, Cuenco said he will use a portion of the P7.633 million Barangay Guadalupe officials returned recently to finance the required survey.
Cuenco also intends to use the amount to build a new Banawa-Englis barangay hall. (RHM)
