INQUIRER Global Nation

WITH less than a year before the elections, Cebu City's political figures floated their plans for 2010 yesterday.

Rep. Antonio Cuenco of Cebu City's south district said Press Secretary Cerge Remonde is more qualified to run for Congress than Mayor Tomas Osmeña but the mayor would make the south district contest more challenging.

“If that happens, I'll have a monumental and severe headache,” Cuenco said.

The congressman said he welcomes Osmeña's intention to run for the city's south district but added that others like businessman Jonathan Guardo are also interested.

Cuenco said he would have wanted Vice Mayor Michael Rama to run for the city's south district but it appeared the vice mayor is set on running for the mayoralty post.

He said he is supporting Rama's bid so long as he supports the division of barangay Guadalupe.

“If he blocks the Guadalupe split, I may change my mind,” Cuenco said.

The congressman's bill is still pending in Congress.

Guadalupe is considered the largest barangay in the Visayas located in the south district with more than 500 hectares in land area.

Cuenco said Guadalupe barangay chairman Eugenio Faelnar continues to oppose the split and he will have to campaign for the bill during a plebiscite.

The congressman is on his last term after 21 years of service.

Meanwhile Guardo said any barangay captains in the Bando Osmena-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) who won't be included in the lineup of councilors are welcome to join the Kugi Uswag Sugbo (KUSOG)-Genuine Opposition.

Guardo said he expects several barangay captains to bolt the BO-PK because they aren't supporting Rama as the party's standard bearer in next year's elections.

In fact he said he expects most barangay captains in the south to support him in next year's elections if another candidate and not Mayor Osmeña will be fielded by BO-PK to contest the south district seat.

Guardo claimed that barangay captains are divided when the names of Councilors Gerardo Carillo and Rodrigo Abellanosa were floated as his opponents in the south district.

Still, he admitted that the BO-PK holds the advantage in political machinery and resources.

Guardo also revealed that lawyer Aristotle Batuhan will be the opposition's vice-mayoralty candidate in lieu of lawyer Raymund Garcia, son of former mayor Alvin Garcia.

The younger Garcia plans to run for councilor in the city's north district./Reporter Marian Z. Codilla and Correspondent Chris Ligan