The balance of power in the Cebu City Council has tilted slightly in favor of Mayor Michael Rama after four members left the dominant Bando Osmena-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK).
There are now eight councilors of the BO-PK.
Team Rama counts on five.
The four who left BO-PK will remain “independent” and vote as a bloc, said Councilor Gerardo Carillo yesterday.
If they stand together on an issue, the mayor’s allies and the new “third force” in the council can swing a majority vote to outmaneuver BO-PK on critical issues, like the sale of lots in the South Road Properties (SRP).
Councilors Richard Osmeña, Noel Wenceslao and Roberto Cabarrubias are all on their last terms, with no plans of seeking another election.
Mayor Rama called the change a result of “divine intervention”.
“You give them the liberty to do what they want. Democracy is very much alive in the council,” he said, but didn’t make a visible move to sign them up for Team Rama.
“If there are two , three or four. For as long as they stand for what’s the desire of the city, in the appropriate time, they are all welcome,” said the mayor.
BO-PK founder Tomas Osmeña, meanwhile, said he knew the four would bolt the party because of his refusal to persuade lawyer Reymelio Delute to drop them from the administration complaint filed against several councilors.
The complaint filed with the Office of the President accused city legislators of abusing public funds and their position in approving P20,000 calamity assistance for all City Hall employees and officials, including themselves, after last year’s earthquake and typhoon Yolanda.
“I told them that I won’t try to convince Atty. Delute to remove them as defendants because that was against the public interest. If they are innocent, then they shouldn’t be afraid of explaining themselves to the court and especially to you, the public,” Osmeña said in a statement.
Osmeña said the timing of the defection was also telling.
“Their support for the resolution authorizing Rama to negotiate and make new sales of the South Road Properties (SRP) was very suspicious because it came during a time when Margot and I were still in the US,” he said.
About his nephew’s defection, Osmena said word got back to him that Richie mentioned that “I don’t need him (Tomas) anymore.”
“Ako sports ra man sad ko. If you don’t need me anymore, then you don’t need me anymore,” said the BO-PK founder.
Margot said the couple had an inkling they would part ways with the four, “but that’s their decision.”
“I’m not shocked. Am I bothered? Yes, I am bothered but let’s just move on. The reality is that this is now the way it is,” she said.
“I consider everybody independent and there are realities that we have to face,” said Margot, who attended the city council session for the first time yesterday after her three-week US visit.
Carilllo said it was on the prodding of Councilor Richie Osmena, nephew of Tomas, that they gathered on Monday to finalize their decision to leave BO-PK.
“We agreed to always come up with a collective vote, decision on whatever issues,” said Carillo.
With speculation in the air that Carillo, a BO-PK member for the last 10 years, would seek a higher position, Carillo said he wasn’t ruling out a 2016 campaign “which may include running for mayor.”
He laughed when asked about talk that he would seek the south district seat of Rodrigo Abellanosa of BO-PK.
“The election is still far off,” he told Cebu Daily News.
Some City Hall insiders now refer to their bloc as TRO or Team Richie Osmena.
“We are waiting. We may be getting more BO-PK and even Team Rama members,” said Carillo. He said they have no plans of joining Team Rama.
“Some of them (BO-PK councilors) are trying to ally with us and they understand our stand but it’s difficult for them to leave BO-PK because they are still attached. But I know their sentiments,” Carillo added.
Majority Bloc
With the loss of four allies, BO-PK holds a slim majority with eight members – Alvin Dizon, Leah Japson, Nida Cabrera, Sisinio Andales, Nestor Archival, Alvin Arcilla and Eugenio Gabuya Jr.
Team Rama has five councilors – Dave Tumulak, Mary Ann delos Santos, James Cuenco, Nendell Abella and Philip Zafra.
The “independent” bloc has members – Carillo, Richie Osmena, Cabarrubias and Wenceslao.
The Cebu City Council has 17 members – 16 elected councilors and one ex-officio member, ABC president Philip Zafra., who is the mayor’s former chief of staff.
Breaking Ties
In yesterday’s session, Carillo, Wenceslao and Richie Osmeña shared light moments with former BOPK allies in breaks called during the four-hour council session.
Margot also spoke to Carillo several times during the session.
But Wenceslao and Richie Osmena left the session ahead of the others to avoid being cornered for media interviews.
Cabarrubias was still abroad. He is on travel in Vietnam.
Carillo said relations soured over the administrative complaint of Delute, which they beieve was supported by former mayor Osmena.
(Councilor Margot Osmena, who refused to receive the P20,000 calamity aid, was not included in the complaint.)
“I was not there, but there were those who heard TRO saying that we are collateral damage (in the filing of the complaint),” said Carillo.
Osmena didn’t invite the four councilors to his home for a dinner meeting for BO-PK allies on August 14.
“TRO is closing doors for us. Alangan mo adto sad mi sa Team Rama. Dili sad na maayo,” said Carillo.
Councilor Richie Osmena begged off from making any comments.
“I am still sympathetic with former mayor Osmena kay naa man sad tay utang kabubuton but we also have agreed wo what we (the four of us) wanted to stand for,” said Carillo.
All three were elected under BO-PK, their political party in the last eight years.
Carillo was a BO-PK councilor for three terms before he took a three year break from 2010 to 2013.
He again ran as BO-PK councilor for Cebu City’s south district in the May 2013 election.
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