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Last-minute discussions reveal the agony of Cebu City?s opposition camp in choosing a mayoralty bet.
Winston Garcia, the front-running choice of the Kugi Uswag Sugbu (Kusug), yesterday said he?s not sure of filing his bid for the mayorship.
He said he has ?unfinished business? with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and needs two months to wind up his affairs.
With this, the the opposition is pushing businessman Samuel ?Sammy? Darza as its standard bearer.
Darza said he still had to consult his wife, Therese, about such an important decision because ?family is very important to me.?
Tinago barangay councilor Joel Garganera said there were still issues that the leaders had to settle before Darza commits to file a certificate of candidacy.
Meanwhile, Mayor Tomas Osmeña, led the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) in filing their COCs at the Comelec office.
A music band and supporters with blue and yellow baloons greeted the team, a complete council lineup in the north and south district led by Vice Mayor Michael Rama and Joy Augustus Young for mayor and vice mayor.
Their COCs, however, indicated their party as Liberal Party and not BO-PK.
Mayor Osmeña criticized the opposition for its vascillating decisions on candidates.
?Their line up is changing from time to time. It's like the blind leading the blind. It's confusing,? Osmeña told reporters.
As of 10 p.m., Kusug leaders were still in the thick of negotiations for the opposition?s standard bearer.
Garganera, a Kusug stalwart who attended the meetings, said they were initially leaning toward Darza since Garcia may not be available. The vice mayoralty bet would likely be former mayor Alvin Garcia.
Darza was Cebu city?s former traffic czar as chief of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom).
His name was suggested early on by Rep. Cynthia Villar, wife of Manuel Villar, during negotiations for possible Nacionalista Party (NP) support for Kusug.
Reached for comment last night, Darza was noncomittal.
?We will finalize tonight. There are so many factors and we have to thresh out all the factors and then decide. (These issues) prevent me from confirming or denying (my candidacy),? he told Cebu Daily News.
One of the factors was getting the consent of Darza's family.
?Personally, I still have to get the blessing of my wife (Therese) because I am not going against my wife. My family is very important,? Darza said.
He, however, assured that Villar would still support Kusug even if he wouldn't run for mayor.
?We have already talked with Cynthia . And even if I will run or not for mayor, we still have the support of Villar,? Darza said.
Darza is NP's liason officer in Cebu and a long time friend of the Villars. He is general manager of Adnama Mining company and the general manager of the Cebu Country Club.
He said there would be no turning back if he files his COC today. The party agreed not to avail of the Dec. 14 deadline for the replacement of candidates.
?That was just a scenario before,? said Garganera.
