EDITORIAL - If he is sincere, Winston should make an immediate declaration

Former Cebu governor Lito Osmeña's political comeback bid was short-lived owing to his present health condition. He said he is no longer pursuing his intention to run for the Capitol's top post in the elections next year.

In May, Osmeña surfaced to announce his plans to run for governor. The man behind Cebu's remarkable economic development in the early 1990s said he was running to bring back the province's glory as the country's number one.  

However, following some media appearances, Osmeña slipped back into secrecy mode until a few days ago when he was reported to be hesitant to pursue his bid for the Capitol because of his health condition.  

But the former governor is still making his presence felt in Cebu politics as he is supporting Winston Garcia, the former president and general manager of Government Service Insurance System, who was rumored to be running for governor.

While Osmeña is giving way to Garcia, the latter has not yet officially declared his gubernatorial bid. Garcia, who is said to be the candidate of One Cebu party, told The FREEMAN his decision to run depends upon how Cebuanos are receptive of his programs.

But since Garcia has already presented his platforms and programs, he should have already announced his bid for governor. There's no point in waiting for the public's pulse the fact he is already appearing in the media discussing issues affecting the administration of Governor Hilario Davide III.

Early this year, Liberal Party's Davide had declared his intention to seek for reelection together with Vice Governor Agnes Magpale. Such early announcement could give Davide and his camp the psychological advantage over his political opponents.

If Garcia is really sincere in his development plans for Cebu, he should officially announce immediately his intention to run for the Capitol. Delaying his declaration further would only create questions about the seriousness of his plans.