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Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Guv defends awards to pa, brod
CEBU CITY -- The governor’s father and brother and six other personalities, including Sun.Star Cebu and Sun.Star SuperBalita [Cebu] editor-in-chief Pachico Seares, are this year’s “Garbo sa Sugbo” awardees.
Elizabeth Francia, chief of staff of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, said Representative Pablo Garcia, (Cebu, 2nd district) and Winston Garcia, general manager of the Government Service Insurance System, are among the recipients of the award to be given at the Capitol Social Hall on August 8.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
Governor Garcia was quick to defend the selection of her father and brother, saying they met the criteria for the award.
“It would be controversial if they do not deserve it (award). It just so happened their family name is Garcia,” she told a press conference Monday.
The award, the governor noted, is for the “really, really outstanding Cebuanos.”
Francia said the awardees went through stringent evaluation by an award committee, with the draft list of nominees submitted to the governor for final screening.
“All of them truly deserve the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo for bringing pride to the Cebuanos,” she said.
The other awardees are Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano, Presidential Management Staff Director General Cerge Remonde, former Air Force commanding general Pedrito Cadungog, former UP president Francisco Nemenzo, and Nature’s Legacy Eximport, Incorporated, which is owned by Pete Delantar.
The Provincial Government will also give special commendation to several businessmen, business groups and private firms for their help in the development of the province.
Francia said Seares was chosen as one of the awardees for his relentless effort to uphold journalism excellence not just in Cebu but in the country as well.
Last July 4, Seares was given the UP System’s Gawad Plaridel award for print journalism.
Since he became Sun.Star editor-in-chief, the paper has received 182 journalism awards, making it the most multi-awarded community newspaper in the country.
He also helped make Sun.Star and Superbalita the country’s largest-circulated regional newspapers.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said Monday he does not care if he gets invited or not to Capitol’s founding anniversary celebration on Tuesday.
He said the activity will only be used by the governor as an occasion for “ego-tripping.”
Vice Mayor Michael Rama and the Cebu City councilors were given invitations.
Asked what he meant by ego-tripping, Osmeña mentioned Capitol’s Suroy-Suroy Sugbo tourism program that he said has become an occasion “to project an arriving queen.”
He said the concept, which is to introduce tourists to the products and sights of the towns, is actually good.
“But it has now become ego-tripping, so it is going to be a flop,” the mayor said.
He said businessmen come to Cebu not to look at all its products and sights but to see what they can get for their ventures, which is why business fairs and shows are well attended.
Osmeña also defended himself from Capitol criticisms that Cebu City is dark, saying people traveling from the province know that they are already in the city because of the lights.
The province is dark, he said, and if the governor keeps on harping about Cebu City being lightless, she can be called “queen of darkness.” (GMD/RHM of Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (August 5, 2008 issue)
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Another Pangasinan town mayor killed