Tom to senior citizens: Incentives off if poll choice goes wrong

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday warned the senior citizens in Cebu City to be more vigilant so that they will not commit a mistake in choosing candidates during the next year’s election, amid reports that a member of the Garcia family is planning to run for city mayor.

He is referring to Government Service Insurance System president Winston Garcia who is reportedly the one to be fielded by the Kugi Uswag Sugbu (Sugbu) to substitute Landelino Bontilao who already filed his certificate of candidacy for mayor.

The report said that the GSIS president will file his certificate of candidacy on December 14, the deadline for the political group to replace any of their candidates who may decide to withdraw from their intentions to run for government elective positions.

“Ayaw g’yod intawon mo’g kasayop sa inyong pagpili og kandidato. Kun masayop mo, maputol ang inyong cash incentives,” Osmeña told the senior citizens during a gathering in front of the City Hall legislative building yesterday.

The city has already released P2,000 to each of the senior citizens in Cebu City in the past few months, except those who did not vote in the last 2007 local and national elections.

The senior citizens cheered and shouted in joy yesterday after Osmeña announced that he will order that their additional P2,000 cash incentives be released to each of them before Christmas, and another P4,000 by March, two months before the elections.

He told the senior citizens that such cash incentives came from the proceeds of the South Road Properties, saying “Bisan sa pagsige nila og atake, namunga na g’yod ang atong mangga nga mao ang SRP sa syudad.”

Osmeña announced that days from now the city will again receive P2.7 billion from the sales of the 30-hectare SRP lot that will be purchased by the SM Prime Holdings, Inc.

As one way to discourage the senior citizens to vote for Garcia if he will file his candidacy as mayor by December 14, he reminded them of the province’s move of collecting P5 to each of the passengers who enters the Cebu South Bus Terminal in Natalio Bacalso Avenue.

“Naa ra g’yod sa inyong mga kamot ang kaayohan sa dakbayan pinaagi sa pagpili og maayong kandidato,” the mayor said. — Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)