INCUMBENT Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno remained hopeful that he will win this year’s elections, despite being hounded with graft and corruption cases the critics and political opponents hurled against him.
Earlier, staunch critic and mayoralty rival Jose Gabriel “Pompee” La Viña, began to challenge Moreno for a debate, so he can ask the mayor about issues on corruption, housing problem, economic growth, health care plan, among other issues in the city.
Moreno, who led the launching of the local Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino (PDP)-Laban slate for the city, said that his aim is to continue what his administration started, particularly in building more hospitals, classrooms, universal health care which he believed an important program they need to focus on.
“We have already sustained the momentum, CdeO is a lot better now, the fundamentals are already achieved, but we need to do a lot more,” he said.
Moreno also sees further escalation of the vilification campaign against him, saying he understands, albeit grievously, because his main opponent has nothing significant to offer to the people of the city.
Moreno is the standard bearer of the ruling PDP-Laban party. Dubbed the Team OKKA for Oscar Moreno, Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin “Kikang” Uy, 1st district Cong. Rolando “Klarex” Uy and Liga ng mga Barangay president Kag. Alam Lim who is running for the congressional seat of the 2nd district.
Moreno’s ticket dubbed Team OKKA formally launched its campaign for the May 13, 2019 polls with a rally at the Divisoria area Saturday evening still buoyed by the proclamation rally of the ruling PDP-Laban party attended by President Duterte last March 24, solid accomplishments and very high popularity.
Meanwhile, Moreno saw a new hole against La Viña, when news came out that Facebook has taken down over 200 accounts linked to a certain Nic Gabunada who was described as the person behind the vastly successful social media campaign of the president. Moreno’s camp insinuated that La Viña may not be Duterte’s social media director as the latter claimed to be.
“Did he and Gabunada, who is now facing serious accusation of using social media, what Facebook said as ‘coordinated inauthentic behavior’? Or is he misrepresenting himself?” Moreno asked.
The mayor said he is constrained to ask the question as the election, by virtue of the vilification campaign against him can be a battle between the truth and the lie.
On the cases he is facing, Moreno said all are baseless, unfounded and meant to drag him down.
City Administrator Teodoro Sabuga-a Jr had been quoted as saying that there are only 16 pending versus the mayor. He reiterated that all the cases are baseless, unfounded and meant to drag him down for political reasons.
“Because they have nothing against the mayor, they trump up charges against Mayor Moreno -- In a way, weaponizing legal cases, which is generally bad for our justice system,” Sabuga-a added. (PJ Orias)