A tarpaulin showing former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena issuing a warning about another candidate.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City vice mayoral candidate, former interior and local government Undersecretary Francisco ‘Bimbo” Fernandez laments posters smearing against his supporters’ sample ballots.
Posters and tarpaulins of former Cebu City Mayor and Bimbo’s close friend, Tomas “Tommy O” Osmeña surfaced in Barangay Tejero and other areas saying “Ayaw mog tuo, dili ni BOPK.”
The tarpaulins showed designs of campaign paraphernalia with Fernandez’s face with mayoral candidate, Margot Osmeña, the standard-bearer of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).
The posters also featured a sample ballot that shows Fernandez’s supported councilorial candidates, who happened to be members of BOPK, too. The sample was created by supporters.
Fernandez has always been a supporter of BOPK as he had been friends with the Osmeña family since his youth.
He also openly supported Margot Osmeña despite running against BOPK’s own vice mayoral candidate, Franklyn Ong.
Yet Fernandez also repeatedly clarified that he was not BOPK’s candidate.
“Mao na wala ko kasabot ngano masuko man sila? Tinood man na nga dili to BOPK, wala man pud nakabutang didto nga BOPK. Di pa sila ganahan ana nga atong giendorso ilang mga kandidato, malipay guro ang mga konsehal ana,” said Fernandez in a phone interview with CDN Digital.
For Fernandez, the posters prove an orchestrated attack against his campaign since the other camp spent funds just to print the attacks.
The vice mayoral candidate hopes these attacks will stop because he has never insinuated or made it appear in public that he was a BOPK candidate.
He could not also control supporters who would want to choose him along with the rest of the BOPK slate.
“Wala gyod mi mangangkon nga BOPK mi,” he added.
Tommy O said in previous statements that people should vote for Ong instead of Fernandez so that it will not divide the BOPK votes.
He said in a press conference that if people voted for Fernandez, thereby reducing Ong’s votes, this will allow the opposing party to win.
He added that if Councilor Raymond Garcia, the vice mayoral candidate of Partido Barug will win, it will be a disaster for Cebu City.
Garcia had laughed off this statement of the former mayor. /rcg
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