Tom may let Margot run
More than a year before the May 2019 elections, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday revealed that he is considering his wife, Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, to run for mayor.
Osmeña, who is still on his first term, said he wants to be relieved from his work routine that includes signing vouchers, attending ribbon cutting, press conferences, among others.
“Maybe I’ll let Margot run. It’s just a thought. The workload of the mayor is very clerical. I want to concentrate on a few things that will require me more attention,” he told reporters.
Sought for comment, Councilor Margot said she has not been consulted by her husband about the matter.
Margot, who is now on her third and last term as a city councilor, said that at the moment, she has no plans of running for any position come 2019.
“I just want to be a lola. I don't have plans to run for now and hopefully forever,” she said.
But Margot clarified that she is not closing her doors to anything.
She said she will discuss the matter with her husband and the other members of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan.
Mayor Osmeña has, meanwhile, floated the possibility of him running for vice mayor.
When reporters, however, later asked him to confirm if this was his final decision, the mayor backtracked by saying Margot was just an alternative.
“Ninety percent, I'm running for mayor. But there's an alternative because I want to be relieved of the daily routine and functions of the mayor. I have only very few years left in my productive life, so I really want to concentrate in solving basic problems and then doing new things, doing new innovations, reengineering,” he said.
Osmeña said he wants to concentrate on handling specific problems and growth areas for the city such as his plan to export fresh produce from the city's mountain areas to Korea and Japan.
He also said he wants to plant exotic fruits in the mountain areas for sale in international markets, as well as implement more phases of the Bus Rapid Transit.
“Only to reduce my workload. I have so many investors to take care of,” he said.
Osmeña said he does not want “legacy and recognition” anymore but to implement programs that will improve the lives of his constituents.
Sought for comment, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella said both Osmeñas are “formidable” candidates in 2019.
Labella earlier expressed willingness to run for the city's top post. Yesterday, he said he is also not closing his doors to the possibility of just running for a third term as vice mayor.
“It has always been my consistent position that I will abide by and obey what is the collective sentiment of the group that even the group would say that I will quit politics, I will obey it,” he said.
Labella said will have to consult members of PDP-Laban and Barug Team Rama first as to who will run next year.
“Running for public office is farthest from my mind at this point because election is too far away. We should not be consumed by too much thought of politics because we have our oath of office to serve our constituency to the best of our ability,” he said.