WITH Presidential Assistant to the Visayas Michael Dino on their side, Cebu City councilors affiliated with Barug Team Rama hope to see a new majority in the council with their nomination of Renato “Junjun” Osmeña Jr. to replace former councilor Nendell Hanz Abella.
“Everything that has something to do with the Visayas passes through the office of the Presidential Assistant. They (BO-PK) cannot make their nomination,” Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia said in a press briefing on Friday.
The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) nominated Renato “Junjun” Osmeña Jr. to replace Abella last Thursday, but it will now be up to President Rodrigo Duterte to approve the nomination.
For Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the nomination of his nephew to replace Abella is a manifestation of Dino’s desire to become the city mayor and suspend the bus rapid transit (BRT) project.
“They only make it look like that it’s an Osmeña but in reality, its his brother-in-law,” said Osmeña as Dino’s sister is married to Junjun.
“His main objective is the same — to make sure that his Singaporean friends get the LRT project in Cebu,” added the mayor.
Abella has tendered his resignation earlier this month following his appointment as commissioner of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC-7).