Osmeña: I supported Mar, but protected DU30’s votes

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña clarified that he was supporting Liberal Party’s presidential bet Mar Roxas in the 2016 elections.

This was his reaction after learning that he was acknowledged by President Rodrigo Duterte in his speech during the conference of the League of Municipalities-Visayas Island cluster last Tuesday night.

While saying he supported Roxas in the last elections, Osmeña said he did not hit Duterte as much as he hit former vice president Jejomar Binay, who was also running for president at that time.

“To set the story straight, I supported Mar, but I did not hit Duterte. I hit Binay. I concentrated on Binay. But there’s something that people don’t know why did he talk that way…I told the presidential candidate Rody Duterte..I said ‘Rody, I kept asking you if you were running. You said no. I’m here already with Mar. I can’t get out of this but I will do something for you. He said what? I will protect your votes’,” Osmeña told reporters.

The mayor said he assured that no one will steal the votes for Duterte, adding that several watchers from the presidential candidates were tied up with Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan.

Osmeña admitted that there were several political friends that supported him and Duterte.

He said the “Let’s Do It” movement supported Osmeña for Cebu City mayor and Duterte for president.

The mayor also admitted that he felt “guilty” when he supported Roxas when the Liberal Party “junked” the senatorial bid of his brother, Serge Osmeña.

“I just want to point out one thing. The Liberal Party junked my brother in the last elections. It’s not that I owe the Liberal party anything. But I sort of ignored it and concentrated on Mar because I thought my brother would win anyway. Now, I feel guilty. If my brother runs, who cares about the Liberal Party? Basta I’ll just go for my brother. That’s it,” the mayor added. —

Jean Marvette A. Demecillo/GAN