By MARK FRANCISCO
UNWAVERED, former Phividec Industrial Authority administrator Jose Gabriel La Vina announced May 19 that he would run for mayor in Cagayan de Oro City for the third time despite losing in the past two elections.
In a press conference, La Vina used the recent local water crisis to catapult his probable candidacy.
He said that Mayor Rolando Uy had messed up in dealing with the problem that he supposedly inherited from Mayor Oscar Moreno.
“First, he never initiated to call Manny Pangilinan, whose company COBI supplies the water district. When COBI threatened to stop supplying the water district, he sent the police to prevent COBI from tinkering the water connection which the police have no jurisdiction in the first place because it is privately owned. Then when the water was indeed cut, Mayor Klarex applied for a restraining order when there is nothing to restrain anymore,” La Vina said.
Moreno wasn’t off the hook, too.
“It was during his administration that he consented the signing of the contract between COBI and the water district. Ngisi-ngisi pa siya sa papicture-picture,” La Vina added.
A task force created by Uy earlier this year concluded that the contract is disadvantageous to the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) because of a provision that automatically allows the Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water, Inc. (COBI) to increase its rates every three years.
“So if you are happy with the current administration, then reelect Klarex. If you are happy with the previous administration, then vote for Oca (Moreno). But if you want change, vote for me,” La Vina said.
Moreno is widely believed to challenge Uy in the mayoral election next year but hasn’t confirmed it although a brewing war of words among the erstwhile allies has ensued for more than two years already.
La Vina ran against Moreno in 2019 and against Uy in 2022.
