CAPITOL consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda said Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is resorting to “squid tactics” with his announcement to taunt Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
Sepulveda was reacting to a published report, not in Sun.Star Cebu, which said that the billboard Osmeña wants to put up in the Ramos Public Market will bear the pictures of the governor and former mayor Alvin Garcia.
Osmeña wants the billboard placed as a reminder to the voters that Alvin had the public market demolished.
Based on the report, the mayor will include the governor because the province has allegedly been destroying the image of the South Road Properties.
Sepulveda said the mayor should be reminded that the gubernatorial fight is not in the city.
“Wa man diri ang kumbate sa syudad, tua man sa probinsya. Clear to us nga these are just squid tactics on his part,” Sepulveda said.
There are a lot of issues that the mayor has failed to address, he said.
His attacks on the Capitol are just meant to deflect the public’s attention from the issues.
“Are we better in peace and order, traffic (and) drainage? In sanitation? These problems were not eradicated,” he said.
However, the Capitol hopes that with the change of administration by June 30, Cebuanos may “see a light at the end of tunnel.”
Vice Mayor Michael Rama’s relatives reportedly said the official will learn to stand on his own.
“His relatives mao man ila sulti. Wait lang ug ma-mayor. You ask his relatives, his brother, napugos lang siya,” Sepulveda added.
He also said that “at least,” there’s hope for Capitol’s projects in Cebu City to push through.
“A light at the end of the tunnel. At least, naa’y light kay ang kang Tomas wa man gyud,” Sepulveda added.
He believes Osmeña already had issues against the governor even before the conflict on the lot swap started.
“I am certain kato ra naka-trigger but deep inside, naa na gyud na. Wa lang niya napagawas (He just wasn’t able to express them),” he added.
Investors of the Ciudad project are still waiting, he added.
Last June 2007, the mayor blocked the project after Garcia said she was ready to take “the necessary steps” to protect the Province’s interests and push through with Ciudad, the Capitol’s joint venture with a private developer.
The Capitol was then waiting for a locational clearance from the City Government’s Planning Office but the City ordered a moratorium on developments in Banilad and Talamban.