CEBU, Philippines - It’s official!
Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan will be supporting the tandem of Senators Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III and Manuel ‘Mar’ Roxas II of the Liberal Party for president and vice president in 2010.
As this developed, former Senator John Henry ‘Sonny’ Osmeña, estranged cousin of Mayor Tomas Osmeña, said that running for mayor of Cebu City is one of his options for the coming elections.
The BOPK decided yesterday to back the Aquino-Roxas tandem unanimously.
BOPK SUPPORT
Mayor Osmeña met BOPK members yesterday and they agreed to coalesce with the Liberal Party.
“BOPK unanimously supports Nonoy and Mar,” Osmeña told The Freeman.
The BOPK members met at the Grand Convention Center.
The latest development has been a welcome relief to the backers of Aquino and Roxas.
The mayor had ealier expressed reservations about supporting Aquino’s bid for the presidency even if he had already thrown his support to Roxas.
When Roxas backed out of his presidential ambitions to give way to Aquino, Osmeña said that he wasn’t keen on giving his support to Aquino even if he is endorsed by Roxas.
The mayor said that he supports the bid of Roxas because the senator was responsible for opening the doors of many places around the country to the business process outsourcing industry.
Osmeña in earlier interviews said that Aquino doesn’t have a satisfactory performance as a legislator.
He mentioned his main concern on Aquino, who was reportedly unable to do anything for the revision and imposing of amendments to the Local Government Code which is to be revised every five years.
He said that Aquino is presently the chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, but Osmeña said while the former was congressman for nine years, he failed to initiate moves to revise the 19-year-old Local Government Code even if the law provides that it should be revised every five years.
He earlier said that he was bent on throwing his support instead to Senator Loren Legarda, who has helped him so much regarding the plan of MD Anderson Cancer Center to open a facility in the South Road Properties.
“However, Mar’s presence will answer my concern,” Osmeña said.
Present in yesterday’s meeting were all the councilors, consultant Joy Augustus Young and Cebu City North District Rep. Raul del Mar.
Sonny’s Choices
Former Senator Osmeña said that aside from running for mayor of Cebu City, he can also run for mayor of Toledo City, congressman of the 3rd District or governor of Cebu.
“Everything now is still very fluid. But I may run as mayor in Cebu City or Toledo City or as congressman in the third district or as Cebu governor,” Osmeña told The Freeman.
Osmeña however said that up to this time he is a registered voter of Toledo City and is not very keen on transferring his registration.
The former senator served as mayor of Cebu City when former President Corazon Aquino assumed office in 1986 and declared all positions in local governments vacant then appointed officers-in-charge.
Sonny, who is the chairman of the opposition bloc, Panaghiusa, said that their group will still have to hold a dialogue among its members anytime this week to discuss their political alignment.
His cousin Tommy said that Sonny “certainly may run.” He added, “But it doesn’t mean he will win.”
The mayor said that the Cebuanos will be the ones to decide.
“The last time he ran for senator, he lost in his own precinct even though he was the only candidate from Cebu. He should start there,” the mayor said.
Third district Rep. Pablo John Garcia said should Sonny decide to run as congressman, then “he is more than welcome.”
“I’ve been asking him to run since last year,” Garcia said.
Toledo City Mayor Arlene Zambo for her part refused to comment on Sonny’s option to run for mayor of Toledo. –/NLQ (FREEMAN NEWS)