CEBU City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos has drawn the line on Monday as to which political party she now belongs to after she resigned as the city council’s minority floor leader. She told reporters she felt bullied, hurt, betrayed, abused, abandoned and alone.
Was Councilor de los Santos acting and complaining like one of the characters in the Aesop fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”?
The Free Dictionary says the phrase “cry wolf” also means to exaggerate or lie or to cry or complain about something when nothing is really wrong. No, I wasn’t suggesting she was exaggerating.
But who betrayed who? Was it the party mates of Councilor de los Santos or was it she, who is moving to the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK)? What an excuse!
Councilor de los Santos should not have waited for tomorrow to tell the voters of Cebu City which political party she would join because most of her party mates were already aware that her feet have long been inside the corridors of BOPK.
But she should have told the reporters the right reason for her leaving Team Rama, which is headed by Mayor Mike Rama, instead of accusing her former party mates of abandoning her. But, who bullied or abused her?
Her use of the terms “bullied” and “abused” is simply intriguing. Those are crude words so she should have filed criminal or civil case against those who did these to her. Mind you, the word abused also means molested.
Her statement that she resigned as minority floor leader because she voted in favor of the resolution authored by BOPK councilors deferring the sale of the 45.2 hectares of land in the SRP to the Ayala Land Cebu-SM Properties consortium and Filinvest Land, Inc. was unimpressive.
There is no truth to the joke that Councilor de los Santos left Team Rama because of its new kilometric party name, Partido Panaghiusa sa Panerbisyo (Tungod sa Gugma)-Team Rama (PPPTG-TR), which is difficult to recall. LOL!
It is truly understandable that Councilor de los Santos decided to resign as minority floor leader this late. Decency dictates that she should resign because she has shifted her support to the BOPK, the majority in the city council.
In her privilege speech, de los Santos said: “It would be sheer hypocrisy on my part if I cling on to my leadership and yet maintain independence when it comes to matters where I have to discern and exercise my better judgment, all in the name of public service.” Independence, my foot!
As they say, in politics there are no permanent friends, only permanent vested interests. Astute politicians say politics is addition. Just forget the harsh and acrid words thrown at the adversaries in the past elections.
Councilor de los Santos’s departure may be a loss for Team Rama, but it remains to be seen if her joining BOPK would be the latter’s gain.
It brings to mind what former mayor/congressman Tomas Osmeña said in his previous statements that a barangay captain is only one vote.
Mayor Rama did not show compunction though if de los Santos would leave his party. He said, nobody is indispensable, including him, in politics. But Mayor Rama said de los Santos is still in the list of his slate for councilor in the north district.
Speculations run wild as to what were the possible offers or conditions for Councilor de los Santos to join the BOPK. Will the earlier hype on the M & M (Councilor Margot, Tommy’s wife, and Mary Ann) tandem come true?
There is nothing final though until after the candidates submit their respective certificates of candidacy (COC) with the Commission on Election in October this year.
Councilor de los Santos as the running mate of either Tomas or Margot is not fresh news anymore.
As the chieftain of BOPK, Tomas gets what he wants. So, it’s not yet final even if Tomas already announced that Councilor Nestor Archival will be his running mate for vice mayor.
The suggestion that in the near future de los Santos will take the place of Cebu City north district Rep. Raul del Mar is farther from the truth. I don’t think Congressman del Mar would hand the crown in his district even if Tomas would be the one running for congressman there.
(freezone.ellie588@gmail.com)