Recall plea vs Osmeña still unfiled

CEBU CITY - It has been five days since barangay leaders allied with former mayor Alvin Garcia adopted a resolution calling for the recall of Mayor Tomas Osmeña but the petition has remained unfiled with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Kamagayan barangay captain Mansueto Avila, secretary of the preparatory recall assembly that adopted the resolution, said he is still checking and cross-checking the signatures of those who signed the petition to avoid lapses that may scuttle the move.

Avila said thorough checking of signatures is very important because the subject of the petition is the city’s chief executive.

"In case of a discrepancy, the whole proceedings could become null and void. As assembly secretary, I am doing double-checks to see if the signatures match. I don’t want my colleagues to blame me for any lapses," he said.

He admitted that opposition councilor Jose Navarro, president of the Association of Barangay Councils and of the preparatory recall assembly, has started pressuring him to file the petition with the Comelec as soon as possible.

After receiving the petition, the Comelec, in turn, will conduct its own evaluation of the documents.

Out of the city’s 80 barangays, Avila said he has only double-checked the signatures from 42.

"I cannot say when I will finally be able to file the petition. I do not even have time to campaign for myself anymore," he said.

The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections are scheduled on Monday.

Suba barangay captain Nicasio Jaca agreed with Avila, saying it is not an easy job for the secretary to sign 3,000 copies of the resolution petitioning the recall of Osmeña, as the Comelec requires.

Former mayor Eulogio Borres feels the leadership of Osmeña will be greatly affected by the recall petition, saying the mayor may no longer be able to run the city properly with the threat of ouster hanging over his head.

Nevertheless, Borres, an ally of Osmeña’s father, the late Sergio Osmeña Jr., said he cannot blame barangay officials for initiating the recall move, suggesting they may have become fed up with his "arrogant" management style.

The recall move has also gained the support of leftist groups such as Bayan whose leaders commiserated with vendors at the Basilica del Santo Niño whose stalls Osmeña wants demolished. — Freeman News Service