OUTGOING Councilor Margarita ‘‘Margot” Osmeña announced that she and her husband, the “has-been politician,” are no longer interested in joining politics in the 2022 elections. My reaction? Tell that to the dead Marines in Mindanao, not to the Cebuanos. My reaction on Facebook would have been “LOL” (laughing out loud).
Why? They say politics can revive the dead. For as long as politicians can still breathe, they will still be active in politics. Matud pa nga kining pulitika makabuhi og patay. Look at the others. They are already old and can hardly talk, hear and walk, but they are still active in politics. The “has-been politician” is sickly, but he is still there. I can foresee that his health might even deteriorate because of depression due to his defeat in the recently concluded May 13 elections.
I can only believe Margot that they are no longer interested in city politics if they will go back and stay for good in the US. And if the “has-been politician,” in his private capacity, will no longer poke his fingers in the city’s affairs. Meaning, he will no longer intervene in City Hall matters through his minions at the City Council.
I still remember that before she joined politics and was elected councilor, Margot had been saying that she didn’t like politics and that one member of the family, her husband, in politics was enough. But look what happened? She became more political than her husband. Now, they are grooming their “unico hijo” to follow in their footsteps. Susmaryosep, ayaw na lang.
For as long as this “has-been politician” is still alive, I am quite sure he will still be active in politics whether as a politician, a kingmaker or behind the political scene. He will exit City Hall by the end of this month, but look what he is doing? Through his minions at the City Council who are still the majority, he made a last-ditch effort to make the incoming administration of Edgardo Labella miserable.
He ordered his minions to pass a resolution not to allow the incoming administration to utilize the P8.5-billion advance payment of the three major real estate developers that bought parcels of lot at the South Road Properties (SRP) during the time of former mayor Michael Rama. Is that sabotage?
Why should he do that when that amount was the proceed of a legitimate and aboveboard sale of SRP lots? There is already a court resolution regarding the sale that it was legal, so why would he still block the use of the proceeds? SRP is not his personal property. It’s the city’s taxpayers who are paying the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) for the loan.
The Court of Appeals (CA) 18th Division affirmed the decision of the Cebu Regional Trial Court (RTC) to dismiss a petition for declaratory relief and injunction filed by a lawyer against the City Council. In a decision promulgated on April 30, 2019, the CA said that there was no conflict between City Ordinance 2332 and Resolution 130418, which allowed the sale of 45.2 hectares at the 300-hectare SRP. There was a suspicion that Torres was a “ploy” of the “has-been politician.”
After winning the 2016 elections, his first order was to rescind the contract of the sale between the City Government and SM Prime Holdings, Ayala Land Inc. and Filinvest Inc., claiming it was illegal and highly anomalous. And now that his term was about to end, nothing had happened on his move.
If he is concerned for the city and the Cebuanos, why not give the discretion and prerogative to the incoming administration to use that amount. That could be of big help for the development of the city and to address that basic services that Cebu City residents needed. Is he a good leader that he is only thinking of his personal interest?
I think the “has-been politician” will only quit politics if he is already dead.