|
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Cuenco can coalesce with opposition: Atan
CEBU CITY -- Surprised by his arbitrary dismissal from the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south district) is set to consult party mates and his leaders to help him decide what to do.
Following Mayor Tomas Osmeña's statements against Cuenco, an opposition leader said they will welcome the lawmaker into their party either as a supporter or a candidate in 2010.
What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers
Cuenco said on Tuesday he is keeping his options open, which may include supporting the opposition or forming his own political party.
"I'm free! Free from the clutches of a dictator, a homegrown tyrant. I'm ready to fight a dictator and I'm not going to retreat. If anyone from BOPK wants to fight with me, I will not turn back. I will fight back because I'm not used to being bullied around by anyone," Cuenco said, referring to Osmeña.
He said he has kept quiet for a long time because he was hoping to patch things up with the mayor.
But after he learned of the statement of the mayor, who said that Cuenco is no longer part of the BOPK as far as he is concerned, the legislator said it's about time that he spoke.
"I was trying to be calm about it but now I just don't understand. He (Osmeña) is being unfair. It beats me, what is the purpose of these guys ganging up on me? I guess there are no rules or laws in the BOPK when dropping a member. It's worse than Hitler's party. You're not even told what rules you broke," he told Sun.Star Cebu.
In a phone interview Tuesday night, Vice Mayor Michael Rama said there are no clear rules on dismissing members of their party.
He said, though, that the BOPK has a set of rules that define what they should and should not do as a member of the party.
In his news conference last Monday, the mayor said Cuenco violated a BOPK principle when he revived the plan to separate Sitios Banawa and Englis from Barangay Guadalupe as a way of getting back at Barangay Captain Eugenio Faelnar, who earlier said that Cuenco has not been giving projects to barangays in the south.
BOPK members do not do the right things for the wrong reason, said Osmeña.
Cuenco said he moved to make Banawa and Englis a new barangay after hearing that they have been neglected by the barangay officials.
In a TV Patrol interview Tuesday, Faelnar said he is willing to reconcile with the legislator, saying that when he made his comments, he was not aware of Cuenco's projects in other barangays.
Cuenco said he will talk to Rama and the councilors to ask for their advice on what he should do, since he has ties to these officials where public service is concerned.
"I will talk to them because this affects everyone, the vice mayor and councilors, who might also suffer the same fate. That as a bona fide member of the party, you can be dropped without any hearing or notice, just like the tactics of the Gestapo," he said.
"But I will not plead to be taken back. I won't get down on my knees. My patience has run out. I've had enough, he (Osmeña) even called me a snake two times," he continued.
In a separate interview, Jonathan Guardo said Cuenco's reported expulsion from BOPK was a "political earthquake" since the legislator is considered a major player in Cebu City politics.
He said they will welcome Cuenco, his opponent in the May 2007 congressional race, to join the opposition if he is interested.
"Whether we like it or not, he (Cuenco) will always be a major player in politics in the city. It will be good if he will coalesce with the opposition because we acknowledge the fact that he has his own bloc. He has his own followers and supporters who are very loyal to him, and not necessarily to BOPK," Guardo added. (LCR of Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (September 17, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Marines rescue 3 of 5 hostages in Basilan