Tuburan’s insurgency problem coming back?

CEBU, Philippines - As the elections draw nearer, verbal clashes in Tuburan have become more intense, this time on the town’s insurgency problem.

If former mayor Rose Suezo is to be believed, the problem on insurgency in this Midwestern Cebu town has resurrected.

“Hinay-hinay na ug balik ang insurgency diri sa Tuburan,” said Suezo in a press conference yesterday. (It’s gradually coming back.)

However incumbent Mayor Democrito “Aljun” Diamante in a separate interview was quicked to denied this.

“Dili na tinuod nga nibalik na ug hinay hinay ang insurgency sa among lungsod. Guni-guni ra nang ilaha kay kahibalo sila nga pildi na gyud sila,” said Diamante. (They are just hallucinating because they know that they are going to lose.)

Diamante and Suezo are running against each other for the town’s top post.

Suezo was the town’s mayor for six years from 2001 to 2007 and became the town’s vice mayor from 2007 to 2010. Her husband, Boyet, was town mayor in 2007-2010 while Diamante was a neophyte politician in 2010.

Suezo said that one of the agenda of “One Team, One Dream”, is for Tuburan to become a magnet for job creation and attract more investors.

To date, Suezo said Tuburan has no big investors and has no big companies that can provide massive jobs for the constituents.

She said that during her term, no big-time investors nor companies invested because of the town’s insurgency problems.But she said it was also during her term as mayor that the town became “insurgency-free”.

“Nganong karon ra man siya naka huna hunaanang job creation nga hagbay ra man siyang mayor?. Wala nay taga Tuburan motoo ana nila. Wala na silay plata porma gawas sa sige ug daut nako sa ilang mga rallies,” said Diamante, who said he does not accept any salary as mayor but everything goes back to the town’s coffer. (Why is she talking about job creation only now, when she was mayor for many years. No one will believe them anymore.)

Suezo’s runningmate, Daphne Lagon, said that providing jobs for their constituents is one of her big concerns and this prompted her to run for office for the first time.

Among their platforms are free and clean water, job creation, better health and social services, more infrastructure projects, better education and improved peace and order, of which Diamante said this is what he has been doing for the past three years.

“Ang akoa, gibuhat ko na na. Ang ilaha istorya pa lang,” Diamante added. (I have already done that, while they are still talking about it.)

Suezo’s group also held a big rally at their town yesterday which were attended by thousands of supporters. But Diamante said that these people are not from Tuburan but from neighboring towns like Asturias, Balamban, Carmen, among others.

Lagon, however, said this is not true.

“Dili na tinuod iyang gisulti. Our supporters came from the mountain barangays of Tuburan,” said Lagon, who estimated the crowd of more than 15,000 to 20,000.

Suezo added that there are still even several supporters from the mountain barangays who failed to attend the rally due to lack of transportation.(FREEMAN)