Dad to Mayor Tom: Focus on work not politics

We should focus more on our work now as city officials instead of engaging in politics.

Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, a member of the Barug Team Rama, made this call amid claims that the Barug Team Rama would not pick former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama as the group’s standard bearer in the 2019 election.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the leader of the rival political group Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), earlier said that he was convinced about this after Garganera did not accept his dare to admit that Rama would be the group’s pick for the 2019 elections.

Osmeña claimed that whoever would be picked as the standard bearer for Team Rama, would be backed by a big business establishment who would give money that candidate.

That supporter of the Team Rama standard bearer would be the real enemy, said Osmeña.

Barug Team Rama and BO-PK are rival local political parties in Cebu City.

The former is headed by former Mayor Rama while the latter is led by incumbent Mayor Osmeña.

But Garganera said that both sides should focus on work right now because there would be a time for politics in next year’s election.

He said that governance is a serious business and Mayor Osmeña is making up issues to entertain everyone.

“Kaning wa ko kasabot ani niya [Osmeña], convince what? Nga si Mayor Mike ra man is no longer our candidate? You know what, I don’t know unsa iyang basis niana no, as I said ang partido namo, we’re still talking, discussing and it’s a very healthy discussion and this is also part of our strategy (I still can’t understand him? Convinced about what? That Mayor Mike Rama is no longer our candidate? You know what, I don’t what his basis on this is, as I have said our party, is still talking, discussing, and it’s a very healthy discussion, and this is also part of our strategy),” he said.

But for Mayor Osmeña, whoever Barug Team Rama picks would not matter because he already knew who his real enemy would be.