MAYORS of Cebu’s seventh district affirmed their support for Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia as she reiterated on Friday, September 17, 2021 her decision to seek reelection next year.
She is also counting on the support of the second district mayors.
Garcia, in a live press conference on Friday during her caravan in Boljoon town, thanked the mayors for their support, saying she would not be governor without it.
She also thanked the officials for supporting the Province’s fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), saying the whole province has remained united in implementing the health and safety protocols despite the rise in Covid-19 cases in the previous months.
Garcia said Rep. Peter Calderon (Cebu, 7th) assured her that the district will support her reelection bid for a second term.
“Kana lang gyud ang akong ikapasalamat no, kay without their full support, I don’t know kung mahimutang pa kaha ta karun sa atong gikabutangan (I am grateful for their support because without it, I don’t know if I would still be where I am). We were faced with a challenge. Recently, the number of cases went up, but it has decreased again,” she said.
The seventh district covers the towns of Alcantara, Alegria, Badian, Dumanjug, Ginatilan, Malabuyoc, Moalboal and Ronda, while the second district covers the towns of Alcoy, Argao, Boljoon, Dalaguete, Oslob, Samboan and Santander.
“I am now in the second district. As you can see, all of our mayors are here because they have also shown full support for the direction that we have defined. Naghiusa ang atong direksyon. Maong wa ta magyagaw… Kaya ra ni sa atong mayors nga way daghan storya, di ba (We share the same direction. That’s why we’ve been able to manage… Our mayors can do this, right)?” the governor said.
Meanwhile, Garcia hit former fifth district representative Ramon “Red” Durano VI, saying the latter has no idea what she had done while the Province is battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
Garcia’s statement came after Durano said that he will push his brother, former Department of Tourism secretary Joseph Ace Durano, to run for governor in next year’s elections to better address the health concerns of the Cebuanos amid the pandemic.
Garcia said it’s up to the voters to choose who to vote for in next year’s polls.
“Mao tong naay nag-comment nga si Red nga padaganun kuno si Ace tungod sa kahimtang sa probinsya. Well because he was talking so many things bahin sa health, bahin sa kuan. Nganu diay? Unsa diay atong kahimtang? Okay ra man ta, di ba (Red said Ace should run because of the situation in the province. He was talking about so many things about health. Why? What’s our situation like? We’re doing okay, right?)?” Garcia said.
“I will just say one thing. It’s either he said that because he does not know any better and that can be excused kay kutob ra man gud sila og fifth district, and now murag wa pa man gani, di naman iya ang fifth (because they confine themselves to the fifth district. But now he doesn’t have a hold even on the fifth district),” she added.
The current fifth district representative is Garcia’s son-in-law, Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco.
“The people already know and they have their own mind. You cannot continue to create your own half-truths or lies,” she said.
Garcia said that except for Ace, she doesn’t know yet who the other possible candidates for governor are. (MVE / LMY)