ELECTION ROUNDUP
CFI FINANCIALLY SOUND
The Cebu Court of First Instance Cooperative (CFI) maintains that its financial operations is politics-free.
All transactions of the cooperative according to its chairperson, retired judge Esperanza Fiel Garcia, undergo prescribed processes and are properly accounted.
Garcia made this clarification amid insinuations by Barili Mayor Teresito Mariñas that the cooperative's funds could be used to fund the candidacies of members of her family who are running for various positions in Cebu.
The retired judge is the wife of reelectionist Cebu 2nd district Rep. Pablo Garcia and mother of One Cebu gubernatorial bet Pablo John Garcia and suspended Gov. Gwen Garcia who is running for the 3rd district congressional seat.
Mariñas is being challenged by another Garcia sibling Marlon Garcia. Another Garcia sibling, Nelson Garcia is seeking re-election in Dumanjug town.
According to Lito Astillero, a member of the CFI Board of Directors, the cooperative has internal and external control systems to safeguard all financial transactions.
Had it not been for CFI's sound management, Astillero said, the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) would not have provided the cooperative a P3.5 billion loan.
The CFI he said has total assets of over P7 billion and 80,000 member-cooperators in the Visayas and Mindanao.
The CFI leadership also scored Mariñas as a delinquent member of the cooperative and is studying legal action against him for making unfounded accusation on the cooperative. /Correspondent Renan Alangilan
RAMA 'CHALLENGED' BY ALU-TUCP'S SUPPORT FOR BOPK
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama admits that the endorsement of the Associated Labor Union – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (Alu-TUCP) to the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kagawasan is a “challenge for them to campaign harder.”
But he added that while the labor group’s endorsement boosts the chances of BOPK bet's in the May 13 elections, it is no assurance of their rival’s victory.
“This is not as important keeping ones grip of the masses. Endorsements is not an assurance for votes. You always have to go back to the basics,” he said.
Alu-TUCP declared during last Wednesday's Labor Day observance their support to the 19 BOPK candidates.
The labor group however dropped BOPK City Council bet Nestor Archival in lieu of Team Rama's Boobie Kintanar, whose father, the late congressman Isidro Kintanar authored the congressional franchise of Alu-TUCP's radio station DyLA.
BOPK standard mayoralty bet Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña however comforts Archival whom he said is a sure winner in the May 13 polls. /Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac
LAPU-LAPU BETS SIGN PEACE COVENANT
Lapu-Lapu City's Team Deretso headed by reelectionist Mayor Paz Radaza signed a Peace Covenant before the Birhen sa Regla Parish Church yesterday afternoon.
The Peace Covenant was facilitated by Rev. Fr. Jaime Duero and Lapu-Lapu City Police Office chief Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas.
The Peace Covenants contains the pledge of candidates to commit to a peaceful, fair and honest elections.
Radaza leads his 12-person City Council ticket, vice mayoralty running mate Marcial Ycong and the congressional bid of her daughter Aileen Radaza who is seeking to replace incumbent Lapu-Lapu City Rep. Arturo Radaza.
Last April 30, the Liberal Party ticket spearheaded by mayoralty candidate Efrain Rodriguez and the LP faction lead by congressional bet Angel Rodriguez signed the peace covenant also in the Birhen sa Regla church. /Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza