GMA regains support of 13 Cebu mayors

CEBU — President Arroyo has regained the support of 13 mayors in the province’s second district who earlier had threatened to dump her because of what they claimed was the shabby treatment they were getting from Malacang. o.

"(Mrs. Arroyo) assured us of fair treatment for the three gubernatorial candidates," said Alcoy Mayor Nicomedes de los Santos after a meeting with Mrs. Arroyo the other day.

The 13 second district mayors are supporting gubernatorial bet Gwendolyn Garcia, daughter of Gov. Pablo Garcia.

They claimed that Secretary Gabriel Claudio ignored them during a meeting in Malacañang during the Holy Week, giving more attention to their fellow mayors who are identified with Vice Gov. John Gregory Osmeña and former Rep. Celestino Mar—tinez Jr., Gwendolyn’s rivals in the gubernatorial race.

The President would have lost about 350,000 votes in Cebu had the mayors allied with Garcia made good their threat.

Meanwhile, De los Santos denied a television report quoting Osmeña as saying that seven mayors in the second district have dumped Gwendolyn to join his camp.

De los Santos said the 13 mayors in the second district remain solid for Gwen—dolyn and will never jump over to Osmeña’s camp.

He said Osmeña might have misconstrued it as a "sign of defection" when the mayors shook hands with his father, Sen. John Henry Osmeña, at the Mactan Air Base the other day. — Freeman News Service