CEBU Representatives Jonas Cortes (Cebu, Sixth District) expressed gratitude to Dr. Norberto Quisumbing for deciding to support his bid for mayor of Mandaue City.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Cortes thanked the patriarch of the influential Quisumbing family for making a "hard decision" to support his candidacy.

"We know this decision has not been an easy one for the patriarch of the Quisumbing family. However, we also believe that this decision was also based on the reality which also affected the whole City of Mandaue under this current administration," Cortes said.

He believes that Quisumbing's refusal to support the reelection bid of his grandson, incumbent Mayor Luigi Quisumbing, is due to the current mayor's actions.

"The divisiveness of Luigi's actions has clearly now taken its toll.I believe that this should also be considered by every Mandauehanon in their decision on who will lead Mandaue into the future," Cortes added.

In an exclusive interview with SunStar Cebu, the Quisumbing patriarch decided to switch his support to Cortes after his grandson has reportedly chosen to delve into "dirty politics, character assassination and negative campaigning."

The elder Quisumbing also took offense when his daughter Pinky was named as an "Ecstasy Queen," while his other grandson, Kyle Quisumbing Bravante, were included in a supposed drug matrix in Mandaue City.

The rift between the mayor and his grandfather began when Luigi ordered the closure of his first cousin Kyle's bar on February last year.

His aunt, Pinky, reportedly resented the move.

The elder Quisumbing believes that the move to close Kyle's bar had "no logical and legal basis" and would have been avoided if Luigi had consulted him about it. (JKV)