Just for the fun of it.
So said Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district and Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young who were asked why they donated prizes for bingo games held nearly every night in Cebu City barangays, an apparent bid to court voters.
“People aren’t stupid. If you give them a sack of rice, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get votes. If that were the case, I would have bingo every two hours,” Osmeña said.
Young confirmed that his office sponsored 13 bingo games since January.
He said he would normally pay for the prizes from his own pocket or given by supporters.
But Young clarified that he hasn’t organized a single bingo game as claimed by critics.
Osmeña said he attended two bingo games last Sunday night, shortly after he returned from his U.S. trip, but he did not speak before the crowd.
He said he was only there to give out prizes solicited from him.
“I support bingo games because I find them wholesome, seeing elders and the young ones come together to play,” Osmeña said.
The congressman said his donating prizes “has absolutely nothing to do with campaigning.”
In Team Rama, Councilor Jose Daluz III said he’s busy recruiting followers at the barangay level.
As Cebu City chairman for PDP-Laban, Daluz said he doesn’t want to recruit Team Rama members because they remain allied with the Liberal Party.
Mayor Michael Rama said he wanted to speak with Daluz on the matter. The mayor said he’s wary about how Daluz’s recruitment would affect his alliance with LP. Daluz is campaign manager for Team Rama.