Cebu's BO-PK chooses Leni

CEBU, Philippines — The Bando Osmeña - Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), the group of former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, is endorsing Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo for president in the 2022 polls.

Osmeña said BO-PK likes “leaders who listen and respond.”

The group also likes it that Robredo has agreed to petition the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to create special precincts for 100,000 call center agents who work in one area in the city.

Osmeña said these agents will have extreme difficulty voting during regular voting hours on election day due to their abnormal work hours. They will also face the challenge of commuting to their voting precincts.

“If our government allows 500,000 Pinoys abroad to vote, what more the 1.6M agents in our cities? We ask that Cebu City be the pilot agent as 90 percent are working in one contiguous area,” Osmeña said.

Osmeña said Robredo is the best choice among the presidentiables.

“Pacquiao and Ping are also good choices. Bong Go is a poor choice and Marcos, the worst choice,” he said.

Osmeña’s wife, former councilor Margarita Osmeña, with Liga ng mga Barangay President Franklyn Ong, are running for mayor and vice mayor, respectively, against incumbent Mayor Michael Rama and Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia of Barug PDP-Laban.

Rama was a former member of BO-PK and even served as vice mayor to Osmeña. He formed his own local group when he ran against Osmeña in the 2013 elections.

Interestingly, Ong was present at a political gathering with Senator Manny Pacquiao last September. He clarified that he went to the gathering in his “personal capacity” and not as member of BO-PK. Pacquiao is also running for president.

Councilors Eugenio Gabuya, Jr. and Lea Japson who are also members of BO-PK were also present at the Pacquiao event.

As of this writing, Osmeña has not responded to The Freeman’s query on how BO-PK will treat these circumstances, given its recent declaration of support for Robredo.

BO-PK is not a Comelec registered party. It has no officers or by-laws. It’s a political alliance in Cebu and is not linked to any national political party.

Based on the group’s history, Bando Osmeña is a slang for people who would hang around the political headquarters of the late Sergio Osmeña Jr. in the mid-50s. At night, the crowd would sometimes loiter and spill into the street in downtown Cebu City. Passing motorists began calling it Bando Osmeña (the band of Osmeña).

The group evolved and the phrase “Pundok Kauswagan” was added to Bando Osmeña. Pundok Kauswagan means a group for progress. — JMO (FREEMAN)