Gwen: Handshake with Tomas meant nothing

The handshake meant nothing.

This was the clarification of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia after she and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña were seen shaking hands at the Dinagat Festival in Cordova and the thanksgiving party hosted by Sen. Miguel Zubiri last Sunday.

The two have been at odds with each other for almost a year now over issues involving provincial lots in Cebu City.

Garcia and Osmeña were invited by Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy to witness the festival.  Although they were seated apart from each other both were in a light mood and were even seen shaking hands.

Garcia, in an interview with reporters, explained that her extending her hand to Osmeña was one way of leading an example “without bias, fear or favor”.  There were no talks about the ongoing conflicting issues.

“No.  We were there to pay proper respect to the invitation of Mayor Adelino Sitoy,” Garcia said.

“For me, it’s one of my daily routine.  I treat them with the proper respect that is due to their office apilan og sweetest smile,” Garcia added.

The governor and the mayor claimed that they were not quarrelling as what other people perceived but only protecting the interests of their respective constituents.

Their relationship turned sour after the proposal of land swapping between the city and province failed to take off.

The proposal was made when the province started to work towards recovering its prime properties that were awarded to thousands of city residents through Provincial Ordinance 93-1.

In what was considered by many as an act of retaliation, the city stopped a proposed real estate project called “Ciudad,” which was entered into by the province and a private consortium.  The city officials contended that the project would hamper the flow of traffic in the Banilad road.

The exchange of words between Garcia and Osmeña worsened when the province announced it was going after Fuente Osmeña, one of the city’s landmarks.  — Garry B. Lao/BRP