CEBU, Philippines - Opposition congressional aspirants Jonathan Guardo and Lahug barangay captain Mary Ann delos Santos yesterday asked Mayor Tomas Osmeña and his allies to stop their “basketball terrorism” in the barangays.
“We will not allow ourselves to be terrorized, and we will not allow ourselves to fear these people,” Delos Santos and Guardo said during a press conference at a downtown restaurant yesterday.
Both Guardo and Delos Santos criticized the administration of Osmeña for insisting to put up the city’s basketball boards in places where the people do not like and that sometimes causes tension in some areas, like what happened in Lahug last Friday.
The tension occurred when some of the residents in sitio Golden Valley, barangay Lahug, strongly objected that the basketball boards installed by their barangay officials will be removed by the City Hall personnel and be changed with those of the city.
“Let us remind the mayor and his party mates that the sports program that barangay captain Delos Santos and I have started years ago is not only a simple program on sports, but it is also aimed at combating the rising drug problem in the city,” Guardo said.
He said they initiated and personally financed the sport activities to fill in the gaps because of the failure of the city administration to provide such equipment and activities in the past years.
“Now with the elections just a few months away the city officials belatedly realized the need for a sports program in the grassroots level. In their panic they have resorted to basketball terrorism,” Delos Santos added.
Guardo said he has distributed about 1,000 pairs of basketball boards in the south district over the past three years but most of these are no longer visible.
According to Guardo the administration is resorting to “brazen abuse of power” by sending a SWAT team, demolition team personnel and the police to take down their basketball boards that are installed all over the city.
But Osmeña said it is the opposition that is tearing down the city’s basketball boards.
“They have no right to vandalize the city’s goals by tearing down our city property to put their boards. Even my personal basketball goals and boards had been torn down and they put their boards on them. Tabla ra ako ang nag-donate sa jeepney ug ila ang plate number,” the mayor said.
Acting Mayor Michael Rama said that Guardo and Delos Santos should be very careful with their accusations.
“They have to be very careful because if that is true, if ever, that is stealing or robbery,” Rama said.
He said that the city government has the right and the duty to install the boards considering they are the owner of the goal as well as they donated the property where the court is located.
Delos Santos said that the administration out of courtesy should have just coordinated with her office and she will install the basketball boards. — Rene U. Borromeo with Ferliza C. Contratista/BRP (FREEMAN NEWS)