FORMER Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama dreads to see his coalition split as he plans to run for Mayor in the 2019 midterm elections.
Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, Rama’s running mate in the 2016 elections, is also rumored to be the mayorial standard bearer of Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
Rama and Labella, although allies in the local coalition Barug Team Rama, are also heads of the local chapters of United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) and PDP-Laban, respectively.
“I don’t want to see that split and we ought to be discussing the matter,” said Rama.
Rama said he believes Labella is as much a decent man as he is and that they can iron things internally.
Rama explained that the Barug Team Rama bloc in the council are members of the national umbrella of Barug which is composed of local parties in different regions and UNA as a national party.
Rama said although majority of the councilors of the Barug Team Rama bloc have committed to PDP-Laban, the bloc is still technically under UNA since they ran under UNA in 2016.
“[My intent to run as mayor] will not change unless circumstances that are beyond anybody’s control will arise,” said Rama.
He said he wished to retain the original members of Team Rama as he intends to regain the mayoralty seat of Cebu City.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña was nonchalant about Rama’s intention to run.
“Who am I to say who should run and who should not? They are free to run,” said Osmeña.
Osmeña said he does not need the approval of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino for him to stay as mayor.
Osmeña said that Dino does not have enough influence to dictate who should be the next mayor.
Osmeña also lambasted Dino for allegedly being behind his non-inclusion in the President’s dinner with local chief executives on Saturday.
“It only demonstrates that Michael Dino has no respect for the Cebuano people. That’s basic protocol,” he said.
Osmeña also denied that he was barred from entering the venue of the dinner.
He said that he was at the hotel lobby to meet someone who was invited.
“I was not invited. So, what’s the issue? I had my own dinner with the barangay captains,” he said.