SCROLLING down: The fat bonuses the mayor promises to give to Toledo City Hall employees and talking about it as his "legacy" means he won't make a last-day substitution and switch bids... The Upsilon Sigma Phi "scandal" at the University of the Philippines angers UP president Danilo Concepcion who is himself an Upsilonian... Mayor Sonny Osmeña seems to be aiming for a third district win and keeping his hold on Toledo City Hall... Which also brings up the rumor that Vice Mayor Antonio Yapha might agree to having his daughter drop out from the congressional race in return for Sonny's support for Dr. Tony's mayorship bid.. That would require a "kiss and make up" after all the barbs Sonny had unleashed against his vice mayor. But then political convenience also led to his 2016 deal with Representative Gwen Garcia.
First, people are talking about...
* UP FRAT SCANDAL. The online conversation of some members of the UP Diliman fraternity Upsilon Sigma Phi that caused some uproar. It contained reportedly a lot of "slanderous, misogynistic, hateful, intolerant and inflammatory statements." So widely offensive that it assaulted women, gays, blacks, Moros, leftists, minorities and others. So gross that UP president Danilo Concepcion, himself an Upsilonian, condemned the scandal, saying the posts "do not represent what we have stood for all those years."
What has made Upsilon famous or notorious, however people see it, is that it is known as the fraternity of Ferdinand Marcos. Whom the frat has pointedly shunned: in this year's USP centennial celebration, it does not publicly recognize Marcos. But neither does it recognize Ninoy Aquino who was also an Upsilonian.
Goodby gift to Toledo CH workers
Toledo City Mayor John Osmeña is giving City Hall workers a 14th month pay plus a bonus each totaling P25,000. Mayor Sonny made the announcement during the flag-raising ceremony Monday morning (November 26).
A City Hall watcher speculated that when Sonny talked about the bonuses as his "legacy" for Toledo employees, that means he would not change his mind about running for third district congressman. He is not making any substitution for the Toledo City mayor slot. It's goodby to the mayorship and a sally into the House seat.
The fat bonuses is also a way of appeasing the City Hall employees who had not been paid for at least five months since May because of the tug-of-war or, more precisely, Sonny's constant torpedoing of Acting Mayor Tony Yapha's occupancy during his suspension.
Sonny to make up with Yapha?
Sonny Osmeña's candidate for mayor, when he climbed to the third district congressional slot, is Marjorie Perales who served as acting vice mayor when Vice Mayor Antonio Yapha became acting mayor.
Sonny apparently aims for two victories: (1) to win the congressional House seat and (2) to make Joy Perales win or have the new mayor as an ally. He has been angry at Yapha who said about a month ago on dyCM radio that he could not understand why because he had been a devoted "batabata" of the former senator.
Among the pieces of gossip about Toledo is that Sonny has been trying to make Yapha's daughter withdraw from the congressional fight, to strengthen his chances against One Cebu bet former congressman Pablo John Garcia.
VM Yapha might agree if he would make up with former boss Sonny, for old times sake and for the political reality that the younger Yapha's chances are diminished by Sonny's entry. That would also assure Joy Perales's win as vice mayor if she slides down for Tony.
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