Medellin Mayor Ricardo “Ricky” Ramirez used the social media to vent his ire on provincial Capitol officials for allegedly excluding him from a dialogue with Cabinet members on Thursday.
In a message posted on his social networking account, Ramirez said he did not receive an invitation to the meeting with the Cabinet officials led by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas held in Daanbantayan last Thursday.
“The people at the Capitol are such suck-ups with the Aquino administration. Other mayors were invited to Mar Roxas’ visit in Daanbantayan except me. I would like to ask them, was that an activity of the Liberal Party?” the mayor posted on his Facebook account yesterday.
However, according to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office, all the municipal mayors whose towns were affected by last year’s supertyphoon were invited to the activity.
DILG-7 information officer Kym Albrando said it was DILG-7 head Ananias Villacorta who sent invitations to local chief executives, which included Ramirez.
Roxas had a 30-minute meeting with four mayors inside the Daanbantayan municipal hall after inspecting the repairs at the town’s public market and civic center.
Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Juliano-Soliman and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin were with Roxas, who also visited a relocation site by Habitat for Humanity in barangay Aguho.
Five out of the 16 mayors from the Yolanda-affected local government units (LGUs) attended the program.
They were Butch Sepulveda of Borbon, Mariano Martinez of San Remigio, Rex Gerona of Tabuelan, Salvador dela Fuente of Madridejos and Augusto Corro of Daanbantayan, all stalwarts of the Liberal Party (LP).
Tuburan Vice Mayor Danilo Diamante represented his brother, Mayor Democrito Diamante, in the activity which was also attended by Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III.
Ramirez, an outspoken critic of the Davide administration, said Capitol officials may have feared about what he would say or ask to the Cabinet members if he were present in the dialogue.
“Instead of Cebuanos helping each other for the better, our fellows here strive to shut us up and silence our valid complaints,” said the mayor.
Corro declined to comment on Ramirez’s allegations, adding that the issue of politics must be avoided especially after last year’s calamity.
“Let us just unite for the common good. Focus on the positive and build from there,” he said.
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