Atan and Mary Ann as Osmena alternative?

Local headlines screamed early this week that sportsman Atan Guardo will run for mayor with Lahug Barangay Captain Mary Ann delos Santos as vice mayor of Cebu City.

This came after two Osmenas — Mayor Tomas Osmena’s estranged kid sister Georgia and uncle former senator John Osmena — expressed their intention for Cebu City’s top post. They will go against Tom’s bet Vice Mayor Mike Rama.

I would like to point out that Tomas does not exactly relish supporting Rama judging from his continued adverse remarks and the mayor’s fielding of his trusted man Joy Young as running mate and wife Margot Osmena as councilor. Uncle John Osmena said Margot is running to serve as “yaya” of Mike Rama. Tomas himself said Margot shall keep Mike’s girlfriend Joy Pesquera from interfering in city affairs.

The situation of Tom’s party (Bando Osmena-Pundok Kauswagan) bets prompted both Georgia and Sonny to test the political waters in Cebu City which is a traditional Osmena bailiwick. However, both Georgia and Sonny are not exactly exciting candidates for city residents.

Then entered Atan and Mary Ann.

Let me clarify though that the verbal accounts of what transpired during the Atan-Mary Ann presscon contrasted with the published reports. Both did not categorically say they would run for mayor and vice mayor.

Both known as opposition bets for congressmen in the north and south districts respectively merely bared a unified program for Cebu City, not district specific legislative agenda. They pushed for what they called OUR Cebu City. “OUR” means opportunity, unity, and reform. They pitted this slogan against Tom’s MYCT that referred to Mike Rama, Joy Young, Cutie del Mar, and Tomas — the four main candidates of BO-PK.

According to insiders, they merely want to project a unified program for both north and south districts that they would pursue in Congress. Even Tomas saw this and said both would run for Congress.

However images of Atan and Mary Ann campaigning together for a unified program were seen by the local media as a campaign for mayor and vice mayor. And the media projection tickled several political players in Cebu.

Now is the Atan-Mary Ann tandem a viable alternative to the Osmenas?

I believe that would depend on how they would conduct themselves in the next few weeks especially in pushing for their supposed advocacy. If they succeed in getting a critical mass of Cebuanos actively behind them and their advocacy their so-called OUR Cebu City, they will have a good chance of making it either as congressmen or as mayor and vice mayor.