ABC President and ex-officio Cebu City Councilor Philip Zafra denies rumors that he is leaving Team Rama. (CDN PHOTO/JOSE SANTINO S. BUNACHITA)
Another Cebu City councilor denied rumors that he is leaving Team Rama to join rival party Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).
Cebu City Councilor Philip Zafra, who is the president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) in Cebu City, clarified an interview on Wednesday morning that he is staying with Team Rama.
He admitted though that he had a meeting with Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña together with some BOPK councilors and city hall department heads last month.
He also admitted that the BOPK camp was courting him to switch sides.
During the meeting, Zafra said he raised several concerns plaguing the barangay recently. This includes the delay in the release of allowances of barangay workers and the cutting of fuel allocation for barangay garbage trucks among others.
“They treated me fairly well. They made me comfortable. They are impressed of my actions. And I’m thankful and appreciative that they listened to me even if we belong in opposing parties,” he said about the Osmeña administration.
Zafra said the meeting may have been misconstrued by people as a plan to bolt Team Rama, which he said is not true.
He said though that even after he cleared his position, he hopes that the Osmeña administration will continue to open lines of communication with the barangays.