Who doesn’t want unity as Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama asked from city residents during last week’s celebration of the city’s 77th Charter Day celebration?
In his message to constituents, the mayor recounted anew the successful efforts of his grandfather, the late senator Vicente Rama to pass the cityhood law for Cebu despite the opposition of some of the country’s leading lawmakers.
By telling Don Vicente Rama’s story, the mayor may have been recounting his own struggles with his former allies turned critics in the City Council but that’s a different story and chapter altogether.
The theme of Rama’s message, trite and outdated it may be to both his critics and disaffected city residents alike, is unity amid differences in both view and political affiliation.
True, there are plans between the two camps and Rama doesn’t have to spell out his entire agenda for one to know that he plans to run for reelection in 2016. The Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) also plans that year to field their own slate of candidates against him.
But setting aside politics for maybe this year and next year, the two camps can work together to build a bright future for Cebu City with the South Road Properties (SRP) as the bridge for mapping out and reaching that future.
So far, there have been positive indications that the two camps are working towards making the best deal for a planned Japanese retirement facility in the SRP.
The fact that the two camps have been quite open and agreeable (so far) to the Japanese firm’s proposal for a retirement facility in the SRP means they can meet halfway or even reconcile whatever differences they may have with the investor in order to make the best deal possible.
But in negotiating that SRP deal and in every aspect of governance, there are possible disagreements and clashes along the way and that shouldn’t be stifled in the name of unity.
As stated, there will always be plans among the two camps but we’d like to believe the city officials can rise above their own personal agenda and do the best thing for the city—or at least what they think is best for the city which we hope doesn’t revolve solely around their own interests.
In two separate messages on the eve of and after the elections, former Cebu City mayor and congressman Tomas Osmeña said something about city residents and local officials not wasting the golden opportunity for development and progress that SRP represents. “Because after that, there’s no more SRP,” he said.
He also said something about Cebuanos not losing faith in Cebu City or Cebu province. We’d like to believe that Osmeña and Rama spoke from the heart when they made these statements. But Cebu City residents don’t need to depend on them, just heed their message and unite for their own good and bright future.