Team Rama’s relentless pursuit to take control of the Cebu City Council’s budget didn’t succeed yesterday.
But the administration won’t stop trying.
For the next few weeks, we’ll be seeing fresh attempts to oust Margot Osmeña from the strategic committee on budget and Sisinio Andales from the committee on laws.
With the balance of power already upset by the defection of three BO-PK members, each legislative session will be an arena to test whether nine BO-PK members can continue to hold off five Team Rama councilors reinforced by three new “independents”.
All it would take to upset the equation is an absence of one BO-PK councilor who gets sick, goes out of town or develops cold feet in the political battle.
An attempt to resolve the power struggle with civility was behind Tuesday’s luncheon meeting between Team Rama and Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) councilors at a Japanese restaurant.
Over sushi and political chat, Mayor Mike Rama’s political lieutenant Jose Daluz III made it clear the mayor’s interest in claiming the budget and finance committees was “non-negotiable.”
It’s easy to see why.
The mayor’s target of a P35 billion budget for 2015 will not survive the chopping block of a council dominated by the BO-PK, which slashed his budget proposal so severely last year he’s still suffering from the gashes.
Control of the budget committee would mean easy approval to bankroll Rama’s ambitious programs for a new Cebu City Medical Center, parks, urban poor housing and more populist subsidies like increased allowances for senior citizens, scholars, policemen, prosecutors, and judges, even it if the revenue sources aren’t that clear.
For the BO-PK, there’s no chance of easy surrender of a valuable power base for 2016, when they can realistically aim to regain the mayorshhip and other posts in City Hall.
Three former BO-PK members who declared their liberation as independents were responsible for approving the resolution that gives Mayor Rama leverage to sell three choice lots of the South Road Properties (SRP) by public auction.
That was a prelude to the mission of wresting control of the budget committee chairmanship.
Both sides courted third-term Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias for a precious vote to break the tie for a committee revamp.
Apparently BO-PK found a way to keep his loyalty.
As the budget season starts in earnest after October 15, prepare to see more showdowns in the floor of the Cebu City Council.
All its takes is one vote to change the picture.