Lito who? New voters may not recognize ex-governor

MOST new voters in Cebu Province will probably ask who Lito Osmeña is. They were not yet born or were still clueless when Lito’s political stars started to shine.

Lito -- or Emilio Mario Renner Osmeña Jr. -- has announced he’s running for governor in 2016, a position he held from 1988 to 1992. He ran for vice president in 1992 and for president in 1998 and lost in both attempts. (The bully who beat him up in both races: movie actor Joseph “Erap” Estrada.)

If the newbies can’t remember Lito, they don’t know about his Promdi, the political party he used as vehicle in his national sorties in politics.

Promdi, for Progressive Movement for the Devolution of Initiatives, has stumped many people, especially on the matter of “devolution of initiatives.” A Tagalog voter asked a Lito campaigner, “Anong tupa ba yang ‘devolution’?” In retelling the story in Cebu, the Lito aide didn’t say how he answered the question.

Not likely that he’ll use Promdi in his Cebu governorship campaign but he might recall that he was the author of the highly popularized “Ceboom.” But then, again, his propagandists have to explain what Ceboom is.

Lito has a lot to be proud about Cebu when he was governor: the provincial budget reached P1 billion under his watch. And yes, his bold moves opened up Lahug to commercial development, including the popular I.T. Park.