IN DUE time, Barug PDP Laban will become the majority in the Cebu City Council. A reliable source said that Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino and not incoming vice mayor Mike Rama, who will be the presiding officer, is working on it. The source said that Dave Tumulak of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) has already committed to support the incoming administration of Edgardo Labella. Tumulak was with Team Rama when he joined the city’s politics from being a barangay captain of Basak, Pardo.
The source said Tumulak is asking for concessions before he will affiliate with Barug. He wants his twin Jonathan “Joy” and another brother Jun to be given positions at City Hall. Joy, who is currently the manager of the Cebu South Bus Terminal, which is being run by the Provincial Government, is coterminous with the governor. He used to be the executive director of Citom under Rama’s watch.
The source said that Dino is also working on the immediate disqualification of BOPK stalwarts Sisinio “Bebs” Andales and Alvin Arcilla. Dino will try to work it out that the matter will no longer reach the Supreme Court and will be decided only by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc with finality.
A Comelec division had already disqualified both Andales and Arcillas on the basis that they are no longer entitled for another term after serving three straight terms. Comelec en banc is yet to decide on the matter.
If Andales and Arcilla will eventually be disqualified, Jerry Guardo of BOPK and Joel Garganera of Barug, who ranked ninth and 10th, respectively, will take over. Dino had already negotiated with Guardo and the latter has already committed to support Labella. Guardo was also with Team Rama but bolted together with Tumulak and now National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) Commissioner Hans Abella to BOPK.
Dino’s group will also negotiate with Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba and Eugenio “Jun” Gabuya as the two are not really BOPK hardliners. Gabuya was with the group of former mayor Alvin Garcia’s Kusog before he bolted to BOPK. If the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections will push through next year, Barug will see to it that it will get the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) and SK presidency. Well, let us see if Dino’s political maneuver will succeed.
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Defeated Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. is ranting that he was junked by Barug PDP-Laban partymate Niña Mabatid. which is why he lost in the elections. Alcover should not blame Mabatid for his loss because it was the north district voters who rejected him because maybe of his non-performance in the council. Here’s Alcover’s ranking in almost all of the barangays in the north.
Talamban (14th); Sto. Nino (12th): Adlaon (second); Agsungot (6th); Apas (13th); Bacayan (12th); Banilad (13th); Binaliw (seventh); Budlaan (fifth); Busay (11th); Cambinocot (fifth); Capitol Site (13th); Carreta (13th); Cogon Ramos (12th); Day-as (13th); Ermita (11th); Guba (eighth); Hipodromo (12th); Kalubihan (15th); Kamagayan (ninth); Kamputhaw (12th); Kasambagan (12th); Lahug (13th); Lorega (seventh); Lusaran (14th); Barrio Luz (11th); Mabini (10th); Mabolo (14th); Malubog (ninth); Pahina Central (13th) Parian (10th); Paril (fourth); Pit-os (10th); Pulang-Bato (seventh). This is still lacking 12 barangays where Alcover showed the same standing or ranking.
He claimed that he was being junked by Mabatid in Mabolo. If we will base the results, it’s not only in Mabolo. It’s all over and it was massive junking. And if he was junked in Mabolo, why did he not concentrate his campaign and poured in his resources in other big barangays like Lahug, Capitol Site and Kamputhaw? People have been discouraged to reelect Alcover because of his style.
He has no remarkable achievements. He is only good in looking for quarrel and trouble. Like a palengkera “grande voca” (dakog baba). Sige lang pangaway. Alcover has no charisma and appeal to the masses compared to Mabatid. Wala siya gi-junk kung dili gisuka na siya sa mga tawo. May pa maghilum.