Although former Cebu City Mayor Alvin Garcia says that he will not run for public office unless the elections are computerized, he plans to visit the various barangays and get first-hand from the people how they view the performance of Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Garcia said that he will start his barangay visits next month. He however pointed out that he will only seek the mayoralty if the Commission on Elections will computerize the polls because this way the results cannot be manipulated.
Osmeña however shrugged off Garcia's announcement to do barangay visits saying that the former mayor can do it since this is a free country.
"Why not? I don't think about those things, this is a democracy," Osmeña told reporters.
In a radio interview yesterday morning, Garcia said he would comb the different barangays to know the real sentiments of the people regarding Osmeña's performance.
Garcia added that even if he will not run in the 2007 elections, this does not mean he will just lie low, since he plans to field a slate against Osmeña's party - Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).
As a reaction to this statement, Osmeña said he welcomes the possibility of running against many contenders since this would give the people more options to choose from.
"The more people who will run, the better. That will force me to be a better mayor," Osmeña said.
Garcia once again lambasted Osmeña as he alleged that the incumbent cheated his way to office in the elections.
The former mayor alleged that Osmena manipulated the election results by changing the election returns.
Garcia said that what bolsters his belief is that even if Osmena is constantly quarreling with the cities of Talisay and Mandaue, the vendors and his critics plus his arrogance, he still wins. Garcia said, this is because he (Osmeña) doesn't rely on the people's votes, but by manipulating election results.
"Nakahibalo man ko nga wala sila makauyon ni Tomas, ug nagtuo ko nga makauyon sila kon modagan ko,apan di dyud ta kadaug tungod kay naa man na ang iyang maniubra nga maayo," Garcia said.
"Daghan na ang miduol nako ug miingon nga bahala na ug ila tang tikasan gihapon, mo-put -up lang gihapon ta ug grupo, kay wa na makasabot ang atong mga tawo sa konseho nga karon kon unsay isulti ni Tomas mosanong lang dayon, wa nay demokrasya",Garcia added.
He said that he and Jonathan Guardo have also met, but that was before the former Cebu City Sports Commission chairman bared his plans to run for congress in the South District. The former mayor said that if Guardo will run for the opposition, he will definitely support him.
Osmeña and Garcia were former political allies until they met head on for the mayoralty in the 2001 elections. Osmeña edged then re-electionist Garcia.
The former close friends and political partners, having launched their political careers together by forming the BOPK and running in tandem and winning the top two positions in the city in 1988 and 1992.
With Osmena as mayor then and Garcia his vice mayor, the two established a political dynasty of sorts where they had a firm grip of almost all seats of the city council.
In 1995, Osmena gave way to Garcia instead of completing three straight terms, which is the maximum allowed by law. Garcia won a second term in 1998, but shortly thereafter his partnership with Osmena began to sour.
The first signs of the rift between the two began to appear when the candidate of the BOPK in the barangay councilors league elections lost to a female independent candidate, Carmen Piramide, who later became a city councilor.
At the time, Garcia was already the nominal head of the BOPK, being the mayor, but Osmena continued to work from the sidelines as adviser. Osmena apparently considered the debacle of the BOPK in the barangay councilors league elections as a leadership failure of Garcia and began criticizing him for it.
The criticisms became very public over real and perceived lapses of the Garcia administration. What really broke the flimsy tie that still bound them was a shouting match by the two inside the mayor's office before members of the media.