Aquino attacks Rama at rally in Cebu

CEBU CITY -- On the last of three campaign stops he made in Cebu on Friday, President Benigno Aquino III endorsed mayoral candidate Tomas Osmeña and blamed his opponent for worsening traffic in the city. The President addressed a crowd from a stage put up in front of the Capitol building, after speaking at campaign rallies in the cities of Bogo and Toledo earlier in the day. “Kung may flyover, tuloy-tuloy sana, walang hintuan. Eh, may kumukontra. Kayo na po ang bahalang humusga (If Cebu City had more flyovers, traffic would flow more smoothly. But someone has opposed it. You be the judge),” President Aquino said. Representative Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) is the Liberal Party’s (LP) candidate for Cebu City mayor against a former LP member and Osmeña’s former vice mayor, Mayor Michael Rama. The construction of the flyovers is a pet project of former north district congressman Raul del Mar, who is running again for Congress under the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK). As expected, the rally tied up traffic in some of the city’s streets, after part of Osmeña Blvd. had to be closed for it. Executive Director Atty. Rafael Yap of the City Traffic Operations Management said heavy traffic filled Gen. Maxilom Ave., F. Ramos St., Gorordo Ave., and Imus St., among others. P25,000 paid Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) reopened the closed portion of Osmeña Blvd. at 8 p.m., after the rally ended. A Cebu City police official estimated the crowd at 65,000, but the government-operated Philippine News Agency, quoting an unnamed police official, said about 15,000 attended. The BOPK paid P25,000 to the Cebu Provincial Government to hold their rally with the LP in front of the Capitol grounds. Osmeña said the amount covers the rent for the space used for their stage. He said the funds come from the BOPK’s coffers. Asked if the LP gave BOPK financial assistance for their rally on Friday, the BOPK chief said the party did not. He added that they did not ask for any funds from the LP. “In politics, you don’t expect. You only hope,” Osmeña added. Aside from the P25,000, Osmeña said that BOPK shelled some money to pay for the tanods (watchmen) they tapped to help secure the BOPK supporters who attended the rally. Expenses They also purchased some 500 siopao for the BOPK staff. Also, Osmeña said BOPK gave honorarium to the garbage collectors they hired to clear Osmeña Blvd., particularly from Capitol to Fuente Osmeña, of any garbage left after the rally. Osmeña did not say, though, how much BOPK gave the garbage collectors. He said all the expenses they incurred for their rally will be reported in the statement of the campaign expenditures (Soce) they will file before the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The submission of Soce is in compliance with Republic Act 7166 or the Synchronized National and Local Elections Act. That law provides that every candidate and treasurer of a party shall file with Comelec within 30 days after Election Day their full, true and itemized expenditures in relation to the election. Senior Superintendent Mariano Natuel Jr., acting chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said the rally went smoothly, despite traffic congestion in some surrounding areas. Participants, most of them clad in yellow shirts, filled up about 16,000 square meters of Osmeña Blvd. “Then we multiply that with the density of the attendees, including the sidewalks, and that’s how we came up with the number (65,000 participants),” Natuel told Sun.Star Cebu. Crowd Natuel also reported the police didn’t receive any reports about pickpockets who may have taken advantage of the rally crowd. About 100 members of the crowd dispersal management teams were deployed for the road and area security. Chief Superintendent Marcelo Garbo Jr., head of the Central Visayas Police Regional Office, said they expected at least 100,000 would attend the rally and President Aquino’s visit, that’s why they opted to close some roads. “But still the traffic was managed and everything went well,” he told reporters in a separate interview. However, due to extreme heat that spiked past 5 p.m., one of the attendees passed out in the crowd. Heat Rocelyn Mabanag, 19, of the mountain barangay Buot-Taup, Cebu City was brought by her companions to the bleacher assigned for the media. “Init kaayo gud (It was extremely hot),” she said upon her recovery. Medical personnel immediately attended to her. While the Senate candidates were taking turns giving their speeches, some attendees were also busy picking up clothes in vintage stores that are near the area. The crowd also waned as the rally went on. Although she had a hard time walking, 76-year-old Feliciana Rosal of Barangay Ermita, Cebu City went to the rally to listen to the political candidates. “Kay sila man gud ang maka-awhas namo sa kalisud (I expect them to lift us out of poverty),” she said. About 100 members of the crowd dispersal management teams were deployed for the road and area security. Chief Superintendent Marcelo Garbo Jr., head of the Central Visayas Police Regional Office, said they expected at least 100,000 would attend the rally and President Aquino’s visit, that’s why they opted to close some roads. “But still the traffic was managed and everything went well,” he told reporters in a separate interview. However, due to extreme heat that spiked past 5 p.m., one of the attendees passed out in the crowd. Heat Rocelyn Mabanag, 19, of the mountain barangay Buot-Taup, Cebu City was brought by her companions to the bleacher assigned for the media. “Init kaayo gud (It was extremely hot),” she said upon her recovery. Medical personnel immediately attended to her. While the Senate candidates were taking turns giving their speeches, some attendees were also busy picking up clothes in vintage stores that are near the area. The crowd also waned as the rally went on. Although she had a hard time walking, 76-year-old Feliciana Rosal of Barangay Ermita, Cebu City went to the rally to listen to the political candidates. “Kay sila man gud ang maka-awhas namo sa kalisud (I expect them to lift us out of poverty),” she said. For Ivy Labitad, 16, she said it is important for the youth to get involved in such events. “Dili ‘ta dapat mag-sige lang ug laag-laag kay sila atong paglaum (We shouldn’t spend all our time gallivanting; our hope rests in these candidates),” she said. (PDF/DSM/Sun.Star Cebu)