If we have not been writing as much as we should about the events happening at the Provincial Capitol in Cebu, it is due to the fact that the scenario happening there was a “wait-and-see” case because the Judiciary was out on its Christmas break. But with the Christmas season finally over and the New Year 2013 is now with us…therefore the Judiciary can now convene and look into this issue and decide… was it right for Pres. Benigno “PNoy” Aquino, III to suspend Gov. Gwen F. Garcia for six months for an administrative case of grave abuse of authority that should have been investigated and decided for or against in all 120 days? This is the crux of this case.
If Gov. Gwen Garcia has remained in her office, it is not because she wants to keep her power. She knows too well that her term as Governor of Cebu would end with her term limits after the 2013 elections. She is staying simply because of a grave injustice… or should I say a grave abuse of Presidential power by Pres. Aquino who was obviously misinformed about this case by his Liberal Party (LP) allies in Cebu led by Rep. Tomas Osmeña.
It is not a State secret in Cebu that behind the candidacy of Hilario “JunJun” Davide, III is Rep. Osmeña as he was his “lackey” in the Cebu City Council for many years. Unfortunately for Tomas Osmeña, his man Friday Jun Jun Davide, the son of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. isn’t really a leader that Cebu needs. Like Pres. PNoy, he is a visible proof that not all the sons of their fathers are like their famous fathers.
But JunJun is the perfect fit for Rep. Osmeña who doesn’t need a future leader who could compete with him in the future. We already know that this has happened in the past when he put then Mayor Alvin Garcia (he was Tomas Osmeña's running mate in the 1988 Mayoralty elections after the 1987 Constitution was ratified) to run in his stead rather than run in an election for a final 3rd term. But when Mayor Garcia wanted to stay as Cebu City Mayor, Tomas Osmeña broke ties with his pal and run against him. The rest is Cebu City political history. Ugly politics makes enemies out of best friends!
Now history is repeating itself. When then Mayor Tomas Osmeña couldn’t seek another term due to term limits… he allowed his vice-mayor Michael Rama to run for Cebu City Mayor and he handily won under the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) not the LP. Meanwhile Tomas run and won as Congressman in the South District of Cebu. Cebuanos know that Tomas is an outstanding Congressman… meaning he is always standing outside the halls of Congress because he really isn’t into legislative work.
So for the coming 2013 polls, he wants to get his old job back. This is why early in 2010, he already broke off with his long standing political ally and now Mayor Michael Rama… who wants to keep the Mayor’s seat for himself. But since Rep. Tomas Osmeña cannot run for both Mayor and Governor at the same time, he already tasked his pal JunJun Davide to take on Gov. Gwen F. Garcia in the last 2010 elections.
Of course, JunJun Davide failed to grab the Governor’s seat. He is a Cebu City Councilor who had nothing or no local legislation in his name to boast. He clearly won his councilorial seat owing to the good name of his father Hilario Davide, Jr. But the 2010 elections were a “practice” elections for JunJun Davide in order to get his name in the ballot. Yes, they also benefited from the misuse of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) where they even had Gov. Gwen Garcia lose in her own precinct.
Way back in the 1969 elections when all Cebuanos supported the Presidential bid of the late Sen. Sergio “Serging” Osmeña, Jr. against then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, few people realized that he already used the Comelec to win that Presidential race… even to the point of having Serging Osmeña lost in his own precinct. When Serging went to down to shout to the world that Marcos cheated him… Pres. Marcos merely retorted that Serging even lost in his own precinct, then the Filipinos believed in Pres. Marcos. But even today, Cebuanos know that Serging was cheated in his own precinct.
So is history repeating itself? How could Gov. Gwen Garcia lose in her own precinct if someone wasn’t manipulating the PCOS machines? But then Gov. Garcia couldn’t make a formal complaint to the Comelec because anyway she won the elections. But the backlash on this is still to come.
A great majority of Cebuanos voted for Governor Garcia and this means, she should be allowed to finish her term. This is why many Cebuanos are sore at DILG Secretary Mar Roxas for coaxing Pres. PNoy to sign her six-month suspension in order to please Rep. Tomas Osmeña’s wishes to get rid of the Cebu Governor “by hook or by crook!” If Pres. PNoy is sincere in truly seeking unity for our nation and regain the respect of the Cebuanos, he must undo what he did against Gov. Garcia because he has been fooled into signing a suspension order that was illegal to start with. Call it humility.
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For e-mail responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.