AFTER LAPU’S SURPRISE COUNCIL APPOINTEE
What happened in Lapu-Lapu City where a surprise appointee took over the post of a deceased councilor would be unlikely to happen in Cebu City.
Barug Team Rama will see to that using every political connection there is to ensure that their chosen one, Renato “Junjun” Osmeña Jr., a Rama supporter and estranged nephew of Mayor Tomas Osmeña, gets the seat.
For one, Team Rama officials said that United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) national party chairman, former vice president Jejomar Binay, assured them that he was officially endorsing only one name as Councilor Nendell Hanz Abella’s replacement.
Abella, who ran under Team Rama/UNA in the 2016 elections, has resigned as Cebu City councilor after being appointed as commissioner of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) 7th Division.
“VP Binay signed only one nomination and he gave us his word. I am not worried about it,” said Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia.
Aside from Binay’s lone endorsement, Team Rama is also banking on the Malacañang influence of Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) Secretary Michael Dino, who happens to be Junjun’s brother-in-law.
“We have OPAV Sec. Mike Dino in Malacañang to make sure our nominee is appointed by the President. He said he will do his best to seek the President’s signature on Junjun’s appointment before the end of October at the latest,” said minority floor leader Councilor James Anthony Cuenco.
Just last week, Barug Team Rama formally announced UNA’s endorsement of Junjun as Abella’s replacement.
The announcement came amid reports that Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) was also working on the nomination of their own bet former Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation president Rengelle Pelayo through Senator Manny Pacquiao, a member of UNA.
After the nomination process, what is left now is for President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the official appointment for whoever would replace Abella.
“The President knows what is best for Cebu City, thus he will appoint Junjun,” said Councilor Philip Zafra.
This was echoed by former mayor Michael Rama who said that what happened in Lapu-Lapu City is far form the situation in Cebu City.
“I am in constant contact with Jejomar Binay. I have full trust and confidence that if there are any changes in the interim, he will be calling me,” added Rama, who heads UNA in Central Visayas.
“The law is clear, only the nominee of the party whose representation is removed can be appointed unless UNA party has nominated other people aside from Junjun Osmeña then the latter is the replacement,” said Councilor Jose Daluz III, a lawyer.
Lapu-Lapu City
Just this week, the Liberal Party (LP) in Lapu-Lapu City was surprised to learn of Duterte’s appointment of lawyer Jeannify Tan-Dungog to replace Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Damian Gomez Jr. of LP, who died last March, even when the party had their own nominee.
Mayor Paz Radaza said she believed it was former Cordova town mayor, now Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Secretary Adelino Sitoy, who was behind Dungog’s appointment, even before Sitoy himself admitted it.
“Wala na ko mahibulong nga duna sila’y kalabutan ani (I am no longer surprised that they had a hand in this),” said Radaza.
“My administration is an open book. Everything is transparent and (I) have always adhered to our advocacy in fighting corruption,” she added.
Earlier Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Gregorio Paquibot Jr. led some of the city’s councilors in questioning Dungog’s appointment asking Dungog during the city council session last Wednesday if she had a certificate of nomination and membership from the Liberal Party.
Radaza’s camp had endorsed a former councilor, Rudy Potot, to replace the seat vacated by Gomez.
“Pero councilor Dungog was already appointed by the President, mao nga motrabaho na lang ta tungod ug alang sa kalamboan sa siyudad ug sa katawhan (But Councilor Dungog was already appointed by the President, so let’s just all get to work for the welfare of the city and the people),” said Radaza.
After a courtesy call on the mayor, Radaza told reporters that Dungog seemed to be a very nice person who was willing and excited to do her job as a neophyte in politics.