Dino for vice mayor?

Former Cebu City councilor Richie Osmeña finally got his post as regional director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 6 based in Jaro, Ilo-ilo City. He was appointed in March 2017 yet.

In a chance meeting during a fiesta dinner at the house of our mutual friend Silvestre Suico in Mandaue City, Director Osmeña confided that Ilo-ilo city has so many colorum public utility vehicles (PUVs).

Osmeña’s office also covers the island of Negros. But he only has 17 personnel. On his first week in office, Osmeña apprehended four colorum PUVs. A cop owned one of the seized PUVs.

The situation in Region 6, which only has 17 personnel, is true in other regions and other government agencies involved in the enforcement of laws.

Because of this, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is deficient in the enforcement of the traffic and transportation laws. As such, unqualified drivers abound. Worse, these drivers are abusive.

Funny as it may look, but Director Osmeña said that because of the lack of appropriate impounding areas, an impounded colorum PUV was driven out by the owner one evening using his spare key.

Mike Dino of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) could take the cudgels for the regional directors and bring up their concerns directly to President Duterte.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, before leaving for Japan, came up with a teaser on who are his possible opponents in the 2019 polls. He named Vice Mayor Ed Labella as his possible opponent for mayor with OPAV Secretary Dino running for vice mayor. But Dino denied he has political plans.

Mayor Tomas perhaps made his assumption from the statement of Secretary Dino that he prefers Vice Mayor Labella to run for mayor because he has credibility and integrity.

After Mike Rama’s defeat in the last election,s it’s just right that he takes the back seat and let Vice Mayor Labella lead their group under a new political tag.

If Labella runs for mayor in 2019 with Dino as his running mate, it would be a battle royale.