Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is scheduled to host a second round of his “Meeting With The Press” at 10 a.m. today at the Social Hall of the Cebu City Hall building. Much has happened since his last get-together with the local media in July last year.
For one, the glow of his seemingly improbable election victory over his former benefactor, former mayor and congressman Tomas Osmeña, has long dissipated. It’s been replaced by a surer, more confident hand bolstered by victories of his allies in the council.
Second, all those years serving as acting mayor paid off when Rama managed to handle one crisis after another with the experience of a veteran public servant – the collision and sinking of two ships off Talisay City which released a dangerous oil slick, infrastructure damage in Cebu City after the Oct. 15 earthquake, preparations for supertyphoon Yolanda, assistance to typhoon victims and so on.
There were losses as well. The Cebu City Council rejected anew his P10-billion budget proposal, cutting it almost by half, which he surprisingly took well.
Last July, he gave marching orders to his department heads, in the presence of the media, to “defend” and “restore” the budget from previous cuts.
When the budget slash went through, instead of marshalling a veto, he told department heads to deliver “super service” within their means. Then again, after winning his second term, why complain so much?
It’s still six months away from his annual State of the City Address, but Cebu City residents have two major projects to look forward to under Rama’s watch.
One is the rebirth and modernization of the Cebu City Medical Center and its integration with quick response emergency agencies in one complex. Second is the new commercial development in the South Road Properties (SRP) through a retirement facility to be funded by Japanese investors.
There are other pressing problems Rama has to address and show how to improve Cebu City’s capacity to withstand flooding, more fierce storms and wacky weather changes like the cold spell that are offshoots of Climate Change.
The hospital project has a big P1.5 billion goal. “Piso-piso” donations will have to be reinforced by big-ticket generosity by the national government and other sources. Just as challenging is the management and operation of the new complex, and how much leeway the private sector will have in calling the shots.
The mayor shouldn’t rely on his likeable, populist appeal for public support. He has to show concrete basis of his grand plans to make Cebu City “sustainable, ecologically balanced and happy.”