Mabolo kap: Not defecting, not running for ABC prexy
Is Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) losing one of its 51 allied barangay captains to the opposition?
Speculations that Mabolo Barangay Captain-elect Niña Mabatid plans to jump ship started when she took her oath of office before Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III instead of Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Sotto is an ally of PDP-Laban, and majority of the opposition officials in the city are members of the party.
According to Mabatid, she took her oath of office before Sotto because she was requested by the Office of the President to go to the Senate for her oath-taking ceremony.
“I’m still with BOPK. Wala ko nibalhin sa Team Rama. I don’t have that plan,” she told reporters.
Mabatid, though, admitted receiving invitations from personalities she asked not to name, urging her to run for the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) presidency next month.
Although she welcomes the invitation, the village chief said she has no plans of running against reelected Barangay Captains Franklyn Ong (Kasambagan) and Phillip Zafra (Tisa).
Ong is BOPK’s bet while the opposition wants Zafra to keep his post as ABC head.
“Sa pagkakaron, wala (plans to run for ABC president). Right now, I’m set to concentrate on my barangay nga ma-implement nako ang mga programs nga akong gisaad sa mga tawo sa Mabolo,” Mabatid said.
“I am a very honest and transparent person. If ever I will make a decision, I will always ask the blessing of the mayor. I will never fight with him because I will never fight with someone I respect so much,” she added.
Osmeña, for his part, said he heard rumors on Mabatid’s plans to defect but decided not to comment.
“Both leading candidates (during the May 14 barangay elections) are identified with me. That’s why I basically kept my hands off. She (Mabatid) claims I did not help her, what can I say?” he said.
“She said she is being of-
fered, napul-an na ko sa ilang chismis even when she was still a candidate. She didn’t even invite me to her victory party. All of them were there, the Team Rama,” he added.
Mabatid belied the reports. She said that there were no politicians during her victory party held in a beach resort.
She said, though, that during their barangay fiesta, her neighbor, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, dropped by to congratulate her on her victory.
As for the ABC presidency, Osmeña thinks Mabatid is “not qualified” to run for the position since she is a neophyte politician.
“She’s not qualified. She has not even served as barangay tanod. It’s up to her. I’m not telling her what to do. I mean, if she runs, good. Naa’y thrilling. Why will I stop the procedures of democracy? The more candidates, the better,” he added.