Recently, members of Team Rama were bothered by the departure of Councilor Dave Tumulak, who said he left the party to become an independent.
But barely had he left Team Rama when Tumulak was offered the post of deputy mayor for police by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Well, if Tumulak truly believes in all honesty about his reason for leaving Team Rama, then I suggest, as a friend, that he refuses the mayor’s offer and truly become independent.
Team Rama should not fault Tumulak for bolting the party because after the defeat of its leader, former mayor Mike Rama, many of its councilors were expected to leave the party and join the administration for political survival.
Honestly, I would not be surprised that in the near future more will leave Team Rama for their political survival.
Team Rama is a party that doesn’t have a head because its political leader was defeated by Mayor Osmeña.
But can it be remedied? Yes, with Vice Mayor Edgar Labella filling in the leadership vacuum.
Honestly, Rama is no longer effective as a political leader because he has been accused unfairly by President Rodrigo Duterte as a drug coddler and protector.
If I were Rama, he should start weighing his political options and start preparing for the midterm elections. I know what he is going through is not easy, but it is the reality.
My advice to Rama is to focus and consolidate his followers in the south district in preparation for the coming midterm election. I seriously suggest that he forget about making a political comeback by running for mayor because Tommy Osmeña would be difficult to defeat in 2019.
Rama may have a better chance of winning if he runs for Congress in the south district against, most probably, Councilor Margot Osmeña. Going back to the specter of some members of Team Rama bolting the party, then so be it.
I just hope that these politicians should spare the people their excuses and tell it like it is. They’re not fooling the people by saying they would be independent since they would never become independent.
In the first place, if they wanted to be independent, they shouldn’t have run under Team Rama in the last elections. That way, they wouldn’t be pictured as ungrateful for leaving Team Rama, which helped them win, and this is the case of Councilor Dave Tumulak.
And many Team Rama supporters vowed not to support Tumulak in the future because they consider him as a political butterfly and as ungrateful.
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Members of Team Rama aligned themselves with PDP-Laban, President Duterte’s party, for political survival since the city mayor doesn’t belong to the same party.
In a way, their alignment with PDP-Laban provides them the national support from the Duterte administration.
If Team Rama’s leadership wants a complete realignment, then it should bring in its leader, Mike Rama, but they must first move to clear his name. I noticed that the leaders of Team Rama are very laid back, and they always react to Osmeña’s legal attacks.
I like the attitude of Councilor Jun Alcover who filed four cases against Osmeña at the Ombudsman.
Team Rama should file a case against Osmeña at the Ombudsman for opening the Inayawan dumpsite because it had been declared illegal already.
I remember Atty. Golly Ramos threatening charges against local governments maintaining illegal dumpsites.
Alcover may file another case against Osmeña at the Ombudsman for opening and disregarding the law on open dumpsites. File pa more, and let us see if the Osmeña camp won’t be bothered by the series of suits against their political leader.