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CEBU CITY, Philippines - It is still two years before the 2010 elections, but Cebu City's political pot is already boiling.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama will team up with Joy Augustus Young, Cebu City consultant on education, in the mayoralty race under the banner of Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK).
The tandem was announced by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña on Monday amid speculations that he would field his wife, Margot, for mayor when his term ends in 2010.
While he stressed that he would let go of the mayoralty post, he did not say that he would not run for public office in 2010.
“That's what I'm trying to say. Ako mismo, I will let it go. And if (the city) will survive without me, that means I am proud of my job as the city mayor,” he told reporters in his regular press conference on Monday.
The opposition party, however, was unfazed by the “Mike-Joy” tandem in 2010.
Lahug barangay (village) Captain Mary Ann de los Santos of Kugi Uswag Sugbo (Kusog) said the opposition has a lot of possible candidates who can beat the administration party.
She also expected an exciting 2010 local elections especially that BO-PK top leaders were on their way out as they were already on their third and last term.
Among them are Mayor Osmeña and Representatives Antonio Cuenco of the south district and Raul del Mar in the northern district.
It will also be the first elections wherein no Osmeña will seek a higher elective post unless the mayor runs for another position or his brother, Serge III, will reclaim his seat in the Senate or vie for a lower post.
But Mayor Osmeña said he did not mind.
“It’s your city. It’s not my city. It is not the city of the Garcias or Mike Rama or Alvin or anyone,” he said.
He said he would be content to support the team-up of Rama and Young in the 2010 elections.
“Joy Young is running for vice mayor with Mike Rama and Mike Rama already agreed to that. And I think I will help Joy Young get closer to the city because he is a very good administrator – he knows how to move. He’s the best. I guess because tanang nako’ng problema sa eskwelahan, naningkamot gud siya. So I support Joy Young. But I am asking the people that this is Mike (my candidate for mayor),” Osmeña said.
While he announced his candidate for mayor and vice mayor, Osmeña did not reveal his choices for Cebu City north and south district representatives.
Talks were rife that Councilor Gerardo Carillo and Rodrigo Abellanosa are interested in running for congressman in the south district to replace outgoing Representative Cuenco.
Carillo is on his third term, while Abellanosa can still run for another term.
But Osmeña said the rivalry between Carillo and Abellanosa was “normal.”
What was more important was who between the two could serve the city best and not who would win in an election, he said.
“If you elect somebody popular and then ends up not being qualified, there’s no cure for that. When somebody is qualified but not popular, there is a cure for that. We can campaign for him and make him popular. That can be done,” he said.
In the north district, among the names floated to replace Del Mar are Councilors Edgardo Labella, Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem and Nestor Archival as well as the congressman’s daughter, Cutie del Mar.
Young said his tandem with Rama was discussed by the party.
He admitted that he preferred running for vice mayor than congressman because he wants to stay in the city.
But Young said it is too early to discuss his candidacy because many things could happen before the 2010 elections.
Rama has been in The Netherlands along with four city councilors since April 27 to strengthen the city’s 15-year partnership with the municipality of Haarlemmermeer.
Rama and City Councilors Augustus Pe Jr., Arsenio Pacaña, Edgardo Labella and Christopher Alix will be back on May 7. Young was councilor from 1988 to 1998.
He later served as party-list representative for Probinsiya Muna Development Initiatives (Promdi) for one term.
According to Young, he was offered to be the running mate of Osmeña when he returned to the mayoralty race in the 2001 elections. But he did not push through with it because many BO-PK members were interested to run for vice mayor, including Rama.
But now that Osmeña announced he would be BO-PK’s candidate for vice mayor, Young said it was high time that the party would give him the post.
“Dugay na ‘ta gitanyagan pero di ko gusto og away pailob ta sige (It was offered to me long ago but I didn’t want trouble so I gave in),” Young said.
While his last elective post was in 2001, Young said he has never been away from the people in the barangays. He had also been helping the BO-PK candidates in the past elections, both in the north and south districts.
As consultant on education, Young said he has been in contact with teachers, parents and barangay officials.
Young rejected the observation that he had few followers in the south district because his clout had always been in the north.
He said that when he was councilor, he held the committees on youth, sports and education and spent more time in the south district because there were more problems on lack of school buildings in the south than in the north.
He said he also made sure that there would be equal distribution of sports equipment and materials in both north and south districts.
But a lot of things could still happen before the 2010 elections, cautioned opposition leader Mary Ann de los Santos.
She said it was still premature to announce their candidates because the election is still two years away.
De Los Santos said the opposition has a lot of possible candidates for standard bearer. Among them are Government Service Insurance System president and general manager Winston Garcia, businessman Jonathan Guardo and lawyer Aristotle Batuhan.
Garcia was a former provincial board member while both Guardo and Batuhan ran for south district congressman on separate elections but lost to Cuenco.
De los Santos said former mayor Alvin Garcia would likely serve as party consultant because he had not expressed any desire to return to the political arena.
“I’m pretty sure, di mauwaw ang opposition sa among mga kandidato. Most of us are fresh and young,” De los Santos said.
She also expected an exciting 2010 elections in the city, now that Osmeña, Del Mar and Cuenco were bowing out.
Now that the three BO-PK leaders can no longer run for reelection, De los Santos said barangay leaders and residents would not be afraid to vote for the opposition candidates.
The opposition has a good chance of sweeping the city electoral race – from mayor down to the councilors in both districts – especially that more young voters are expected to register for the 2010 elections.
She pointed out that when she ran against Osmeña in the 2007 elections, she was able to gather 120,000 votes even if she was unprepared and a first timer in city elections with no famous family name and machinery.
“Di na mahitabo ang otso-otso sa BO-PK, basin mabali pa unya,” she added, referring the to eight seats for councilor in both south and north districts which are all being occupied by BO-PK members. /With Reports From Correspondent Haydee Quiñanola
