The unrecognized municipal financial aids of the Province of Cebu

The November 13, 1951 local election was a battle royale in the Province of Cebu. Dr. Manuel Alesna Cuenco, incumbent governor of Cebu, standard bearer of the Liberal Party and son of Cebu's political kingpin, Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco was challenged by Sergio "Serging" Chiong Veloso Osmeña, the son of Cebu's grand old man, Don Sergio Suico Osmeña Sr. The Osmeñas were the stalwarts of the Nacionalista Party as it was founded by Don Sergio, the country's first speaker of the National Assembly.

The 1951 election was a midterm election of Elpidio Quirino, the vice president of Manuel Roxas who succeeded the latter who died in April 17, 1948. After a midterm election, Quirino was elected as president on November 8, 1949.

Dr. Manuel Alesna Cuenco lost to the neophyte challenger, Serging Osmeña. The official assumption of the new elected officials was yet to be in 1952.  In the first session of the new administration, the Provincial Board of Cebu was informed of the resolutions adopted by the previous board made after the election of November 13, 1951.

The Provincial Board headed by Governor Serging Osmeña Jr. and Board Members Sotero Barte Cabahug and Pedro B. Uy Calderon  adopted Resolution No. 9 with the following content:

WHEREAS, the former Provincial in various sessions which it held days after the elections of November 13, 1951, adopted plenty of resolutions appropriating money to pay men supposedly employed in municipal public works but that in reality were bribed into casting their votes in favor of the candidates of the political party with which the Municipal Mayors were affiliated; and also resolutions granting financial aid for flimsy reasons to certain municipalities whose officials supported the past administration;

WHEREAS, the real and true intent of the above-mentioned appropriations of money was to exhaust the provincial exchequer so that the succeeding Provincial Board, or the Provincial Board elected on November 13, 1951, might be placed in the sad predicament of having no more fund to expend for the essential services of the Province.

BE IT RESOLVED, as it is hereby resolved, on motion by Board Member, Hon. Sotero B. Cabahug, that all resolutions of the former Provincial Board, setting aside any amount of money from the provincial fund as financial aid to the municipalities or for public works in the municipalities, and which were passed after November 13, 1951, be and are hereby repealed."

The resolution was adopted on January 4, 1952. The secretary of the Provincial Board was Ariston Cortes who served as municipal president of Mandawe (Mandaue) and is father of Mandaue City's first city mayor and last municipal mayor, lawyer, Demetrio Cortes.

The Cuenco's stronghold was the old 5th District of Cebu. Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco, the Patriarch of the Cuenco Clan was elected as assemblyman of the Philippine Assembly in 1912 representing the old 5th District of Cebu. He was 26 years old then and was a lawyer, publisher, editor, and writer.

The younger brother of Don Mariano by the name of Miguel who became a lawyer at a very young age also became congressman of the 5th District. Don Mariano also became governor of Cebu (1931 to 1933) and became president of the League of Governors and City Mayors of the Philippines. He was elected in the Senate in 1941 and became the first Cebuano to be elected as senate president.

A grandson, son of his son, Dr. Manuel A. Cuenco by the name of Antonio Veloso Cuenco who finished law at the Ateneo de Manila and became a lawyer was elected congressman of the old 5th District in 1965. The district was composed then of the towns of Santander, Oslob, Boljoon, Samboan, Ginatilan, Malabuyoc, Alegria, Badian, Moalboal, and Alcantara.