Suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama answers a few questions from the media on August 12 after his ‘press conference’ ended. CDN Digital photo | Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City as a highly urbanized city should not be subject to provincial influence, and its residents must be able to vote in the provincial elections.
This is according to suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama on Monday in a recorded video interview in his ‘press conference.’
Rama said that an urbanized city like Cebu City should promote local autonomy as acting Mayor Raymond Garcia allegedly would often consult Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia about the city’s affairs.
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“We are not declaring war with the province, but we are only asserting what is so much enshrined in the Constitution that (of) promoting local autonomy,” Rama said.
Rama mentioned that if a city is urbanized, then the province should not interfere or be involved in Cebu City government’s affairs.
He also expressed comments regarding Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia’s alleged ‘consultations’ with the governor.
The suspended mayor said that “Cebu City is the capital of the whole Cebu Province” so if there would be issues that would affect the whole island of Cebu, it should be done through “discussing” the matter and not “consulting.”
“So let’s operate with functionality and much practicability as One Cebu Island. Balikon nako, we don’t need to consult. We don’t need to be asking, and we don’t even need to make the governor as a special consultant,” Rama said.
(So let’s operate with functionality and much practicability as One Cebu Island. I repeat, we don’t need to consult. We don’t need to be asking, and we don’t even need to make the governor as a special consultant.)
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Meanwhile, Rama emphasized that disenfranchisement had remained an issue and called for the restoration of the right that had been removed without prior consultation.
Cebu City residents should have the right to vote for provincial elections, contrasting it with Mandaue City where residents are allowed to vote for provincial governor during local elections.
Voters from highly urbanized cities (HUCs) like Cebu City cannot elect any candidates at the provincial level but in the case of Mandaue City, a law in 1987 allowed registered voters there to vote for provincial board members for the 6th district, the vice governor and the governor.
Earlier this year, Rama made this call with his son, lawyer Mikel Francisco, in a segment of Sugboanon Channel, the City Hall’s media arm.
According to a report of the city’s PIO, Mikel pointed out that the residents of Cebu City ‘should be considered integral to the broader context of Cebu province.’
“Important kaayo nga sa atong charter, (ang) pagtuki nato’g balik sa atong karta. Kay if you look at it, ang atong charter is the foundation sa atoang collective nga identity isip mga taga-siyudad sa Sugbo,” Mikel said.
(It is very important that in our charter, to discuss again our charter. Because if you look at it, our charter is the foundation of our collective identity as residents of Cebu City.)