Former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama called for a press conference yesterday to answer questions from the media regarding the entry of Team Rama allies to the administration party, PDP-Laban. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
About a month before he figured in a presidential drug list, former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama was offered to join the administration party by no less than the party’s stalwarts in Manila.
But the schedule of Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) secretary general and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez would not allow it, then.
Last Saturday, Alvarez had time to administer the oaths.
And while Rama may have also had the time to take his oath, time was not on his side as he had been included in a list of alleged drug protectors read by President Rodrigo Duterte sometime in August which now automatically disqualified him from membership in the ruling party.
The former mayor said that he will be joining the ruling party after he shall have cleared his name, in time.
“I did not attend the oath taking (last Saturday) because of my inclusion in the list,” said Rama who gave his full support to Team Rama allies who were invited to the event held at the Sacred Heart Center in Cebu City.
“My focus now is to clear my name and that of my family’s, ” he said during a press conference which he called for in his house in Barangay Basak San Nicolas yesterday noon.
Rama explained that months ago, after the May elections, Team Rama already decided to bolt the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of former Vice President Jejomar Binay. who, he said, understood their decision.
“Joining PDP-Laban will allow us (Team Rama) to align our efforts with that of the president’s,” Rama said.
Rama’s allies in the Cebu City council led by Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella took oath last Saturday to become part of Duterte’s ruling party.
Sixty-five barangay captains, all allied with Rama and led by Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President Philip Zafra, were also present during the ceremony to express support for the administration party although they did not take their oaths to remain “apolitical”.
“We decided to join PDP-Laban because we want to be partners for change. We’ve always been standing for federalism, especially yours truly, and the fight against criminality and drugs. We have never been out of it,” he told reporters yesterday.
Rama added that with proper coordination and cooperation from the grassroots level through the barangays, the Duterte administration’s programs will become more effective.
Only Vice Mayor Labella and councilors Jocelyn Pesquera, James Anthony Cuenco, Jose Daluz III, and Jerry Guardo were present during the oath-taking while Councilors Edu Rama, Raymond Garcia and Joel Garganera planned to take their oaths at a later time.
Though allied with Rama, Councilors Pastor “Jun” Alcover and Nendell Hanz Abella, earlier said that they had no intentions of joining PDP-Laban for “personal reasons”. Rama said he respects the two’s decision.
The former mayor, who is now caught in a quagmire of allegations linking him to the illegal drug trade, still had to get in touch with President Duterte to explain himself.
Rama said that although he was in Davao two weeks ago, it was for the birthday celebration of his cousin, Lando, and not to seek an audience with the President.
Some 300 elected officials, including members of Team Rama took oath as new members of PDP-Laban last Saturday before House Speaker Alvarez.
In a talk with reporters, Alvarez said that he personally would like to welcome everyone to the party, but it would be detrimental to the President’s group if someone from his list of alleged drug protectors were to be admitted.
Rama, for his part, said that he was bent on clearing his name.
“Once I have cleared things, I am open to joining PDP-Laban,” Rama said and only time can tell.