CEBU, Philippines - There is no plan to field Minnie Osmeña as gubernatorial candidate in 2010.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña said that there is no plan to field his elder sister as challenger of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in next year’s elections since there is no more time for them to organize supporters throughout the province.
Osmeña made this statement after his estranged cousin, former senator John ‘Sonny’ H. Osmeña, suggested that Minnie face Garcia.
Sonny has also gotten into a verbal tussle with Garcia.
He said that he hopes Minnie will decide to run against Garcia because she might be able to repeat the history of politics in Cebu when her father, Sergio, Jr. ‘Serging’, defeated then Cebu governor Manuel Cuenco in 1953.
The former senator recalled that Manuel Cuenco, who used to be the governor of Cebu that time, was so powerful, because he enjoyed the support of the majority of the town mayors.
Manuel Cuenco is the father of Cebu City South District Rep. Antonio Cuenco.
Manuel’s father – Mariano Jesus Cuenco – was also the Senate President that time that made them powerful politicians in Cebu.
But despite of the situation, Serging Osmeña, still decided to run against Manuel Cuenco, who had support of the municipal mayors, and succeeded.
The former senator said Governor Garcia is similarly entrenched like Manuel Cuenco.
According to the former senator it would be a worthy crusade for Minnie to run as governor and a better challenge than running for a congressional post.
But mayor Osmeña, founder of the Bando Osmeña Pundok-Kauswagan, who is not in talking terms with the governor, rejected such suggestion.
However, the mayor will strongly support Minnie if the latter would decide to run as congressman in the city’s south district because, he considers her as a good candidate to go up against Jonathan Guardo.
Guardo, who used to be one of Osmeña’s allies before he joined the opposition group lost to Cuenco in the 2007 elections.
The mayor said that Guardo is a strong candidate for congressman in the south district because the latter spent so much money for his projects.
That is why, Osmeña said, he might be forced to run for the congressional post in the south district if Minnie or his wife, Margot, will turn down the endorsement for them to run. — /NLQ (THE FREEMAN)