Mayors resent cheer leader tag by Clavel

Municipal mayors allied with Governor Gwen Garcia are contemplating to file a complaint before the House of Representatives against Cebu fourth district Rep. Clavel Asas Martinez for calling them "cheerleaders" during a committee hearing of the three bills seeking to create three more provinces out Cebu.

Capitol consultant Pablo John Garcia said the mayors were slighted when Martinez called them "cheerleaders" of Governor Garcia during the hearing.

At least 28 mayors allied with the governor attended the hearing conducted by the House committee on local government on the bills, which were filed by Martinez and Reps. Simeon Kintanar and Antonio Yapha to convert their respective districts into separate provinces.

Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Allan Cesante, who heads the Cebu Municipal Mayor's League, said he was offended by Martinez's remark, but added that there was yet no formal discussion among the mayors on the impending complaint.

Cesante admitted that some mayors were vocal on filing the complaint against Martinez.

Cesante said the issue could be brought up but not part of the agenda during a meeting that he called for among the mayors on Tuesday to discuss about some projects.

But Naga mayor Ferdinand Chiong told The Freeman that the issue is among those that will be discussed in the meeting. Chiong, however, declined to give further comment so as not to preempt the decision of the majority during the meeting.

The big number of attending mayors allied with Garcia had apparently irked Martinez, who branded them as "cheerleaders" even before she could start presenting her bill.

The hearing, however, failed to dwell much on the merits of the bills, as it prematurely adjourned because it became a venue of personal quarrel between Martinez and Garcia.

Macias created a technical working group that would study and come up with recommendations regarding the bills before the committee to ease the tension.