De los Santos-Garcia team to do "high-level" campaign

In the so-called calm before the storm, Cebu City mayoralty aspirant Mary Ann de los Santos and her running mate Raymond Garcia yesterday promised not to engage into "below the belt" attacks in the electoral battle versus Mayor Tomas Osmeña and his entire slate.

After filing their certificates of candidacy at the Commission on Elections-Cebu City office yesterday, both Delos Santos and Garcia assured they would adopt a high level method of campaign and they would not engage into mudslinging without any basis.

There are four mayoralty aspirants and three for the vice mayoral post in Cebu City who had filed their certificates of candidacy before the Comelec until late yesterday afternoon.

For the mayoralty post they are reelectionist Mayor Tomas Osmeña, farmer Florentino Saballa, Wendell Lope and Delos Santos, who is the barangay captain of Lahug. Lope however faces disqualification as he is not a registered voter of Cebu City.

Those who aspire for the second top political post in the city are re-electionist Michael Rama, Garcia and a certain Cristituto Abangan.

De los Santos said she has decided to accept the challenge for her to run against Osmeña after her family gave her their "blessings" to throw her hat into the mayoralty race.

Since De los Santos could no longer attend to the needs of her sickly father as she would be busy during the campaign period, one of her brothers from abroad would be asked to go home to take care of the old man.

She said her family already gave her the go signal to run against Osmeña, who earlier expect that De los Santos would surely accept the offer to her because her family needs money for the medication of her ailing father.

But Osmeña later apologized to De los Santos and even prayed that her father would regain his condition because he remembered that the old man used to be a supporter of the mayor's father - the late Senator Sergio 'Serging' Osmeña, Jr.

Among the issues that the opposition would raise against Osmeña includes the unresolved vigilante-style killings in the city, the lack of basic services for the constituents of the city, the city's financial crisis and the South Road Properties.

"I would like to challenge the Cebu City constituents to have a leadership change," De los Santos said, claiming that she and her running mate are independent-minded young professionals.

De los Santos and Garcia have criticized the incumbent councilors of Cebu City - who are all members of the Bando Osmeña Pundok-Kauswagan - as "mga tuta sa mayor."

According to them, the incumbent councilors are just following whatever orders of Mayor Osmeña for them to do so.

But while they have criticized the attitude of the incumbent councilors, it was very difficult for the opposition to find candidates, who could fill up the eight slots for councilor in the city's north district.

As of yesterday afternoon, only four of the eight councilorial slots in the north district have been filled up by the opposition because some of those who have been convinced to run rejected the offer due to the lack of campaign funds.

Those who filed the certificates of candidacy yesterday are former city councilor Danilo Fernan, Fritz V. Quiñanola, Laureano Rogero and Arthur Abregonde.

Meanwhile, two will challenge re-electionist Rep. Raul V. del Mar in the north district as former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regional director Florencio Villarin and construction worker Juan Arenasa filed their certificates of candidacy yesterday.

This will be the third time for Villarin and second time for Arenasa to run against Del Mar.

Meanwhile, insistent mayoralty aspirant Wendell Lope has filed a complaint against Mayor Osmeña and De los Santos with the Office of the Ombudsman.

In his signed affidavit, Lope has accused Osmeña of grave misconduct for not heeding his request for an appointment with "unjustified reason."

He also accused De los Santos of grave misconduct for confusing the public when she announced that she would run for mayor. Lope said De los Santos' candidacy insulted him because he and Osmeña still have to resolve certain issues that would unite the Cebuanos. He even described the move as a criminal act.

"It is a criminal act that buried my reputation in the eyes of media and forgotten in the minds of the people," Lope contended.

He also included in his complaint election officer Marchel Sarno for grave misconduct and abuse of discretion for disqualifying him as candidate allegedly without giving him a chance to explain. Lope could not be included in the list of voters because he is not registered, thereby eliminating his chance of running for a position.

Lope is also asking the Ombudsman to look into the actions of Municipal Trial Court Judge Edgemelo Rosales and his clerk of court for denying his appeal to be included in the list of voters. Normally, complaints against judges or court personnel are forwarded to the Office of the Court Administrator of the Supreme Court for appropriate action. - Rene U. Borromeo and Joeberth M. Ocao