CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña claims there are “plenty” of barangay captains interested to ally themselves with Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).
Osmeña said being the incumbent mayor is what attracts them to shift parties and move to his camp.
He, however, refused to name the barangay officials, saying he will consider their party shifts only after the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on May 14.
“So if for example I need three more votes to get the ABC (Association of Barangay Councils), akoa nang dawaton (I will accept them). But after that, no more. I’m just an ordinary person. Sapagka’t ako ay tao lamang,” he said.
Osmeña wants to change the incumbent ABC president Philip Zafra, who now sits as ex-officio member of the City Council, saying, this would help his administration secure the majority in the council.
For now, of the 80 barangays in Cebu City, only 15 barangay captains are allied with BOPK. Osmeña said while his opponents keep on bragging about their numbers, he still won the mayorship even with just 15 barangays allied with BOPK. He said he only has 15 barangays but he won the elections.
Sixty five barangay captains out of 80 are allied with Barug PDP-Laban.
“If the people will vote for you, you will win. If people will not vote for you, you will not win. It is so simple but it so true,” he said.
Asked to comment on the mayor’s claim, Councilor Joel Garganera said it is Osmeña who is courting the barangay officials to transfer and not the other way around.
“Sa tanan niyang pagpakauwaw, pagpiit, paglisud lisud sa mga barangays. Ang iyang pasabot nga nakalimot mi? Basin na amnesia nani atong mayor?” Garganera said in a text message.
(After everything he did to harass the barangays, maybe he has forgotten what he did.)
Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, for her part, said they are confident that the 65 barangay captains will remain loyal to Barug PDP-Laban.
All of Osmeña’s claims will be answered as soon as the ABC elections are over, said Councilor Jose Daluz III.
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