Fortuna brushes off origin issues vs Luigi

CEBU, Philippines - Former Mandaue City vice mayor Carlo Pontico Fortuna has defended mayoralty candidate, sixth district Representative Gabriel Luis "Luigi" Quisumbing, from issues tagging the latter as "not a pure Mandauehanon."

Fortuna said Mandauehanons are intelligent voters and not clannish as what their political opponents are allegedly insinuating.

"We choose our candidates based on characters and performance," said Fortuna during the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza yesterday.

To support his statement, Fortuna cited the "resounding victory" of Quisumbing in the last two elections where he ran as congressman. He said Mandaue City delivered the votes for the legislator.

Fortuna would have wanted to end his political career in 2010, but he decided to come back as runningmate of Quisumbing in this year's general elections, believing no other person is "better, more competent and more credible to continue what Mayor Jonas Cortes had started."

"We have always emphasized that even if you are born in Cebu or in Mandaue, it doesn't give you an assurance that you can be a better leader. You can even be a corrupt leader. It's really more of your character, more of your upbringing. It's more of how you think which is very important," Fortuna said.

Fortuna described the issue hurled at Quisumbing as "very discriminatory."

For his part, Quisumbing just brushed off the matter as a politically motivated campaign.

While he is not a native of the city, he said their family, for decades, has been based in Mandaue City to operate their business. He said their family was the first to establish the structure of a match factory building on A.S. Fortuna Street which now evolved into a popular motor shop.

"We are Mandauehanons because we love the City of Mandaue. Para namo that is the primary qualification," said Quisumbing during the same forum.

Quisumbing of Liberal Party is gunning for mayoralty post in Mandaue against City Councilor Emmarie "Lolypop" Ouano-Dizon of One Cebu Party.Dizon's vice mayoral candidate is City Councilor Beethoven Andaya. (FREEMAN)