Tomas no-show in unveiling of Serging’s monument

Cebu City mayor Michael Rama and Mr. Vicente Ayllon (2nd from left) Chairman and Executive Officer Insular Life Assurance Co.,LTD with councilor Mary Ann delos Santos unveil the new monument and Historical marker of Sergio Osmeña, Jr.infront of the City Hall building at Sugbu Plaza. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña snubbed the unveiling of the life-size brass monument of his late father, Sergio “Serging” Osmena Jr., at the Plaza Sugbo ground fronting the City Hall on the occasion of Mayor Michael Rama’s 60th birthday yesterday.

A monument in honor of Don Vicente Rama, the mayor’s grandfather, was also unveiled.

“Don Vicente Rama doesn’t belong in the fire department because he is not a fireman. Serging Osmena doesn’t belong in SM because he is not the owner of SM. They belong here in the City Hall,” Rama said during his speech after unveiling the monuments.

Don Vicente authored the law converting Cebu into a City in 1937 when he was senator while Serging was the first mayor of the city.

No show

The Osmeñas were invited to the event including Tomas but no one showed up.

Sought for comment on the Osmena no-show, the mayor just said, “That’s not my loss.”

But after Rama’s conference, Osmena also called for another press conference at the office of his wife, Councilor Margot Osmena, where he said he didn’t attend the activity since it was just a “publicity stunt” of the mayor.

“I resent the idea of using my father Serging Osmena as a deodorant to remove the “baho” of the Ramas,” the former city mayor and former south district rep. told reporters.

Tomas questioned why the unveiling was done on Rama’s birthday and not on December 4, Serging’s birthday, wherein city officials usually offer flowers at his monument at the parking area of SM City Cebu.

“In the past four years since he was mayor, he (Rama) has not attended a single ceremony of Serging Osmena. Now all of a sudden. Wow,” he added.

Osmena downplayed Don Vicente’s achievements saying he was never elected mayor of Cebu City and that the city government is just using Serging as a justification to also put up a monument of Don Vicente.

“Who is Rama? He (Don Vicente) is given credit for being the father of Cebu City. Cebu City was here when Magellan landed. They’re trying to make it appear that without Vicente Rama, we’ll not be a city? What’s his claim to fame?” he said. Tomas criticized yesterday’s events and ceremonies as focused on the mayor’s birthday.

He said it’s a “shrewd” move but is in “bad taste.”

He added what the people need and want is performance and that Rama’s administration hasn’t been able to bring in investors and raise money for the city.

But Rama said he has been pushing for the installment of the two monuments in City Hall even before and it was just timely that it was finished in time for his birthday.

The monuments were created by award-winning Filipino sculptor Eduardo Castrillo and were donated by Insular Life Assurance Co. Ltd. Insular Life established their first district office in Cebu in 1938. After 76 years, they now have a 12-storey corporate building at the Cebu Business Park.

Aside from the unveiling, Rama also attended the inauguration of the Visayan Electric Company’s (VECO) P70 million underground cabling project and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the cube symbol of the yet-to-be completed SM Seaside City Cebu at the South Road Properties yesterday afternoon.

No best wishes

Despite the issues thrown at him, Rama wishes for “tranquility, unity, solidarity, and togetherness because when we put this together, together we can make things happen.” But Osmeña has no wish for the mayor. “My wish is always for what is good for Cebu City.

What happens to Michael Rama does not concern me. I’m just trying to protect the interest of the city,” Osmena said.