Suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama attended the assembly of PDP Laban last Sept. 20 in Davao City. | Photo from Mike Rama/Facebook
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has clarified and admitted that he would not be running for a Senate seat in the 2025 midterm elections.
“Kanindot ana. Inyo kong gipreventively suspended dinhi sa Syudad sa Sugbo unya pagkahuman diay naay hungihong modagan ko’g senador,” Rama said in a phone conference.
(That would be nice. You preventively suspended me here in Cebu City then after there are rumors that I would run as a senator.)
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He did not elaborate who invited him to run in the Senate, but when asked if that was PDP Laban, he said he declined.
“Ako nang gibalibaran didto sa Davao oy. Kay ang akong puso, akong kasingkasing, alimpatakan, gamiton pa ni nato, haiton pa ni nato [para sa] Partido Barug-PDP, para sa kaayuhan sa Sugbo,” Rama said.
(I declined the offer there in Davao. Because my heart, my heart, my thoughts, it can still be used, we can still sharpen this for the Partido Barug, PDP, for the good of Cebu.)
Asked why he chose to stay in PDP Laban, Rama said “Asa man diay ko padong?” (Where will I am headed?)
PDP Laban, headed by former President Rodrigo Duterte, had their assembly in Davao City last September 20.
“Kahibalo bitaw [mo] sa mga issues dinhi sa atong lokal. Naa tay UniTeam, unsa na may nahitabo nako? Di ba? So asa ko padong?” Rama said.
(You already know the local issues here. We have a Uniteam, what happened to it? Right? So where am I headed?)
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UniTeam was the banner that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte had when they ran in 2022 elections.
Meanwhile, the Partido Barug is set to launch its candidates for the 2025 midterm elections today, Sept. 24.
Yesterday, the political party of Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, Kusug (Kugi, Uswag, Sugbo), presented and inducted its new set of officers in preparation for next year’s elections.
Notable members included councilors, who ran under Barug, headed by Rama, during the 2022 elections.
Garcia said that he was open to run as mayor “because anything is possible.”
However, he said he would be making a formal announcement of his plans for the May 2025 midterm elections at the proper time.
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But after he assumed as the acting mayor, following Rama’s suspension for six months, Garcia said there was now a growing rift between the two of them.
Garcia said that he disapproved of Rama’s political direction.
Still, he remains open to a partnership with Rama saying that “anything is possible.”
Rama’s suspension that was ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman took effect in May and would end in November.
Asked if he was still considering a partnership with Garcia in next year’s election, Rama hinted that this was no longer possible.
“Kanang open nga tandem, di na sila maka-istorya tingali ana oy. Ayaw sa sila pabiliba. They are the great pretenders,” he said in a phone interview on Monday.
(That open tandem thing, they probably would not talk about it. Don’t let them believe that. They are the great pretenders.)