CEBU, Philippines - In light of the recent predicament of Toledo City Mayor John Henry Osmeña, Gov. Hilario Davide III yesterday appealed to six opposition councilors to cooperate with the administration.
“I’m appealing to these six councilors in Toledo City to cooperate to help the city government. This is for the good of the constituents,†said Davide in an interview with the media.
Davide said he heard reports that the six councilors — Antonio Borja Jr., Ricardo Pepito, Rogelio Caburnay, Helen Jill Espinosa, Louis Nicholas Espinosa, and Edgardo Aguilar — are allegedly sabotaging their regular sessions, especially when these would supposedly tackle Osmeña’s proposed projects.
The councilors allegedly do not attend the session or they only come in twos so as not to achieve a quorum.
The governor said that if this is true, these councilors are “not performing their jobs as councilors.â€
“I know kung motambong sa session, lakaw dayun so as not to achieve og quorum. That’s, para nako, tantamount to dereliction of duties. They are not performing their jobs there as councilors. They should be the voice of the people,†he said.
Davide said he is willing to talk to the councilors, who will only need to set a meeting with him.
The governor’s appeal came after the conflict between Osmeña and the councilors had reached the courts.
The governor said he is willing to grant the request of the city for dump trucks which it would use to collect garbage that has reportedly been gathering in heaps after the council refused to release the budget for such basic service.
Davide said he believes that former Vice Mayor Daydee Zambo and third district Rep. Gwen Garcia are behind the every move of the six councilors against Osmeña.
“Maybe the former (Vice) Mayor Daydee (Zambo), maybe Congressman Garcia. They’ve been sighted, sila magkuyog-kuyog sa third district. That’s the story I got from our allies in Toledo,†said Davide. —/NSA (FREEMAN)