Rama: Tomas ‘writing off’ Don Vicente’s place in city

Councilor Edu Rama says Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s claim that Don Vicente grabbed sole credit for the city’s charter was ‘uncalled for.’ (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

A day after former mayor Michael Rama complained about the lack of recognition given to the late Cebu City mayor Don Vicente Rama, it was Councilor Eduardo Rama Jr.’s turn to do the same in yesterday’s City Council session.

In a privilege speech, Rama accused Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña of “rewriting history” when he decided to credit former councilor Gervasio Lavilles as the “brains” of the Cebu City Charter.

“What Tomas Osmeña is trying to do and what he did this week, was to take advantage of his position to manipulate the public’s mind by rewriting history,” Rama said in his speech.

He acknowledged that Lavilles authored Resolution No. 185 that was passed on Aug. 31, 1931, calling on the Senate and the House of the Representatives to enact a law converting the then Municipality of Cebu into a city.

In his City Charter Day speech last Friday, Mayor Osmeña said Lavilles “did all the work” for the city’s charter.

Osmeña said “naay laing mga tawo nga moangkon” (there are other people claiming credit for it).

Rama described this statement as “uncalled for.”

“It was a clear attempt to discredit my great grandfather and imply malice against him,” Rama said.

There was no mention of Don Vicente during the city’s celebration of its 80th  Charter Day last Friday.

An hour after the city’s program, former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama went to City Hall to offer flowers to the brass monument of Don Vicente Rama together with some political allies and several supporters.

The former mayor said what Osmeña did, or did not do, was an injustice to Don Vicente who authored and submitted the bill for the city’s charter in Congress.

Councilor Rama said it was Don Vicente who lobbied the bill for the city’s charter in Congress amid heavy opposition from other assemblymen at that time.

“Yes, I do agree that we should commend Atty. Lavilles but does that mean in doing so that we should discredit Vicente Rama? Why can’t we just commend everyone who played their part?” Rama said in his speech.

Rama said Don Vicente never claimed sole credit for the passage of the city’s charter. He said his great grandfather considered it as one of his life’s most memorable events.

Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera also criticized Osmeña for not crediting Don Vicente during the City’s Charter Day celebration.

“It just shows that Tomas did not understand legislative work even though he was once a congressman having no law passed under his name. It is a fact that Don Vicente Rama sponsored the bill that became the charter of the City of Cebu,” she said in a statement sent to reporters.

Councilor Pesquera said the memoirs of Don Vicente mentioned that the then municipal board of Cebu passed several resolutions supporting the charter to Congress.