Tom: I’ll run even without LP backing

Disappointed over the Liberal Party’s not delivering its promised projects to allies,  Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City south district) said yesterday he was prepared to launch a campaign next year without the party’s support.

Osmeña, who plans to run for Cebu City mayor in next year’s elections, said he wouldn’t mind if the Liberal Party (LP) national officials would choose to support the candidacy of Mayor Michael Rama, who already took his oath with the party.

Osmeña said although he agreed to file his certificate of candidacy (COC) under LP when he ran for Congress, he and other Bando-Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) members didn’t take their oaths to the national party.

Osmeña, who heads the BO-PK, said he only agreed to file his COC under LP to be affiliated with a national party and in turn get his copies of the election returns.

He promised to campaign only for his bid, other BO-PK members and for former councilor Hilario “Junjun” Davide’s run for governor.

“Junjun will win in the province. I will make him win,” he said.

Osmeña said he was disappointed with the LP national officials’ failure to deliver on their promise to  give Davide P250,000 worth of projects per month to start immediately after the 2010 election.

He helped follow up on the promise, but to date nothing had been given to Cebu City and Cebu.

Worst, LP has not even given Davide a staff who will help him run the LP operation here.

“Dili gyud ta maka salig sa national.  But I know that it is an internal matter,” said Osmeña.

Osmeña said that Cebu City had been a recipient of financial help for the implementation of medical program here from Senators Pia Cayetano and Serge Osmeña.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada also gave a drainage project for Basak Pardo, “pero si Mar Roxas zero gyud.”

This kind of treatment, which especially Junjun is getting from LP, is making his gubernatorial bid difficult for him.

Osmeña said that all of the six Cebu province representatives are not allied with LP.

He said they could very well afford to shower their mayors with projects from their P70-million pork barrel and prevent them from shifting support to Davide.

“I know the President (Aquino) is well meaning, but he does not put his feet on the ground,” said Osmeña.

Osmeña said that Aquino might one day end up losing his allies if he would not take care of them.

He said in Congress, for example, LP only has 40 ally congressmen. /Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac