Tommy on spat with Nestor over Carbon issue: No disunity, just a healthy democracy working

Local

IT IS democracy doing its job.

Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not backing down from his sharp exchanges with Mayor Nestor Archival Sr., insisting their public disagreement is a natural, even necessary, feature of a healthy democracy.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, June 30, Osmeña brushed off notions that the disagreement exposed disunity within Cebu City’s leadership. Instead, he insisted that open conflict, particularly between elected officials, is an essential part of democratic governance.

“There is a universal club here in Cebu for unity — except me. I don't believe in unity,” Osmeña said. “In martial law, there's unity. In a dictatorship, there's unity. In royalty, there's unity. You want that?”

He argued that true democracy is built on debate and difference, not conformity, but a lesson, he said, that Cebuanos must begin to embrace.

“The essence of democracy is elections. You know what elections are? It means you're fighting each other,” he said. “I have a better idea, you have a better idea — let the people decide.”

The remarks came in the wake of Osmeña’s strong criticism of Archival and the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), over the newly approved zoning ordinance that updates Cebu City’s land-use framework in line with its Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).

Osmeña earlier said he felt betrayed by Archival and the party for supporting the ordinance’s passage, which many urban poor groups fear will hasten the privatization of the Carbon Market and displace long-time vendors.

“I will always help the urban poor,” Osmeña previously said. “BOPK betrayed them. Nestor betrayed them.”

But on Monday, the vice mayor took a step back from the rhetoric of betrayal and placed their differences in a broader context of political development.

“That’s the basic foundation for progress — when we argue over things,” he said. “Otherwise, we’re all idiots. We just follow like Iglesia ni Cristo or royalty.”

He stressed that disagreeing with fellow officials — even allies — is not about personal animosity or infighting, but about challenging policies to make them better.

“It doesn’t mean I’m right and you’re wrong. Let the people listen. Maybe the correct answer will come out from someone else.”

The vice mayor’s comments also appeared to be a direct response to concerns that his rift with Archival could paralyze the incoming administration. Instead, he argued that disagreement is not dysfunction — it’s governance in its most honest form.

“Arguments will be a normal thing in the city government. Actually, it’s not even just about city government — that’s what democracy is,” he said.

He criticized the notion that leadership must always present a united front, saying it leads to stagnation rather than reform.

“You have to challenge ideas. You don’t just accept things. That’s why there’s no growth,” Osmeña said. “There’s no improvement in our system because we just accept the way things are said.”

The zoning ordinance, which was passed by the outgoing Cebu City Council on June 25, has been met with backlash from groups representing Carbon Market vendors and urban poor communities.

They argued that the ordinance lacked sufficient consultation and could pave the way for unchecked commercial development.

Despite calls to defer the measure, it was approved without objection. Archival was not present for the final vote, but later defended the ordinance as a long-overdue step necessary for unlocking key infrastructure and housing projects.

“Wala pa mi nagka-estorya [ni Tomas],” Archival said in an earlier interview. “But the CLUP has been pending for 29 years. We needed the zoning ordinance as the vehicle to implement it.”

He assured stakeholders that an oversight committee would be created to monitor implementation and that public interest would be safeguarded.

Osmeña, meanwhile, continues to voice concern that the measure may benefit private developers at the expense of ordinary citizens.

“The biggest crooks are not drug pushers. It’s the billionaires. They take our future,” he said last week.

Despite the strong language, Osmeña maintains that debate — not silence — is what will ultimately serve Cebu City.

“I want to take a strong stand. If you disagree with me, it doesn’t mean I’m right and you’re wrong. Let’s ask the people. That’s how democracy works.”(TGP)