Osmeña’s son joins gov race

CEBU CITY — Vice Gov. John Gregory "John-John" Osmeña is running for governor, disobeying the wishes of his father, Sen. John "Sonny" Osmeña, for him to run for congressman in the first district.

The vice governor, a registered voter in Upper Cambun-tan, Bolinawan, Carcar town, filed his certificate of candidacy with the provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Co-melec) the other day.

The young Osmeña was nominated by the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and the local party Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (BAKUD) of the Duranos in the fifth district.

His formal entry into the gubernatorial race shut down the possibility of a coalition between the Lakas-CMD (Christian Muslim Democrats) and the NPC in Cebu.

It also paved the way for a possible three-cornered gubernatorial fight, with Gwendolyn Garcia, daughter of incumbent Gov. Pablo Garcia, and Celestino Martinez Jr. as the other probable contenders.

Together with John-John, Rep. Joseph Ace Durano and provincial board member Rosemarie Durano also filed their respective certificates of candidacy for re-election, under the BAKUD-NPC party.

Agnes Magpale, who has been out of politics for three years, is staging a comeback, seeking a seat in the provincial board under the BAKUD-NPC umbrella.

Magpale, a 61-year-old educator, was a three-term provincial board member from 1992 to 2001. Her daughter, Josefina Asirit, is an incumbent board member. — Freeman News Service