'BAHINI SAB MI.' Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera wanted the City Council to approve the charging of P18.657 million for the payment of salaries of 230 contact tracers as part of the anti-Covid-19 response.
The amount covers back salaries for three-to-four months ago up to this June. Minority Floor Leader Nestor Archival Sr. (BOPK) said "we can't understand" why the contact tracers are still being hired when cases of Covid-19 infections have gone down.
Proponent Joel Garganera, head of the city's Emergency Operations Center, said the number of cases could soar again; the City should be prepared for that possibility, as is happening in neighboring countries. In the meantime, the contact tracers are helping in the stages of vaccination.
"Tingali'g the tracers will become canvassers," quipped Kons Archival, drawing laughter from his colleagues, most of whom are running for reelection and in the midst of the campaign. In effect: "Bahini sab mi bi."
Guess who led the laugh brigade: Presiding Officer and Vice Mayor Dondon Hontiveros, audible and visible because the live-streaming showed him breaking into laughter.
Dondon and Councilor Phillip Zafra filed their COCs or certificates of candidacy as independent but are in the Barug ticket.
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HEART AND BEA. Bea Osmeña, one of six BOPK newbies running for councilor in Cebu City south, posted a "convo" with her husband Miguel Osmeña, late night Wednesday, April 6.
Miguel: "Pareha man mo og nawong ni Heart (Evangelista). Pero kung sa lawas, siya si Heart. Ikaw, Enlarged Heart lang.
Bea: Naa gyud ka matulog sa sala karon!
(Background: Heart Evangelista, campaigning for her husband Chiz Escudero, was in Cebu City. She joined the BOPK team at a Carbon Market sortie.)
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'ILOCOS UGLY, DAVAO POOR.' Leave it to former mayor Tomas Osmeña to call it as he sees it.
In reports on the BOPK-Tito Sotto rally last Saturday, April 2, Tomas said Ilocos Norte is still poor and Davao City still ugly ("bati lang gihapon"), blaming Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte-Carpio for the state of their respective LGUs. BBM was governor, 1998 to 2007, for three terms of Ilocos Norte and Sara was Davao City mayor 2010 to 2013 and 2016 to 2019, and 2019 until she filed her COC for vice president.
Local media doesn't have to reach "Inday Sara" in Davao or wait for her next Cebu trip. She has a spokeswoman based in Cebu, Liloan Mayor Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia-Frasco.
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SWEET REVENGE, MOM'S GIRL. In campaign sorties, Mayor Christina in Liloan and Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia in Dumanjug, made their respective pitch for the vote.
[] The mayor cited as one reason for the constituents' vote: She can get more benefits for the town from Capitol because -- "don't tell" her siblings about it, she teased -- she is her mom's "favorite."
[] The governor said revenge is sweet ("kalamiiiiiii gyud") but unity is good for community progress and development. "Ihiklin ang kalagot, i-padaplin ang pagdumot, alang sa kabulohanan sa katawhan," or something like that.
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