Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia (left) and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama (right) in 2022 elections campaign. Photo from Mayor Mike Rama/Facebook [FILE PHOTO]
This means the dissolution of the alliance between Rama’s political party, Partido Barug, and the Kugi Uswag Sugbo (Kusug) party, led by Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia. The once-unified parties will now go their separate ways in the upcoming polls.
During a Partido Barug Team Rama gathering on September 24, the group introduced their “probable” slate of candidates for the midterm elections.
The announcement came just a day after Kusug held its own gathering on September 23, where new officers were inducted.
Garcia, in a statement during the Kusug event, said he remained open to running for mayor, stating that “anything is possible.” However, he clarified that he would formally announce his plans for the 2025 elections at the proper time.
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At the press conference of Barug Team Rama, Rama was asked if the candidate presentation also marked the official end of the Rama-Garcia tandem, which had won the previous election with Rama as mayor and Garcia as vice mayor, both running under the same ticket.
In response, though avoiding a direct answer, Rama turned to the crowd for their opinion. “What’s the voice of the people?” he asked.
Most of the audience responded with a resounding “Yes!” to which Rama replied, “Then that’s it.”
While he did not explicitly declare the breakup himself, the looming split between the two political figures has been widely speculated since Rama’s preventive suspension.
Tensions between the two have only grown since Garcia assumed the role of acting mayor. Rama has openly criticized Garcia for the changes he implemented in Cebu City during his leadership, particularly his diplomatic approach.
“Maabot ang panahon magkita ta, I’m telling you. You better watch out,” Rama said.
(There will come a time when we will meet. I’m telling you. You better watch out.)
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Garcia, in turn, confirmed that he had grown distant from Rama. He expressed surprise at Rama’s public attacks, saying he had always held Rama in high regard.
He also confessed that he “no longer feels positive” about Rama’s recent actions and statements, especially those directed at him and his policies.
“I will be honest with you in stating nga true tingali nga naay distansya kay I also felt not so good, felt bad. Kani akong gipangbuhat, wala siya malipay. In fact, ningadto sila radyo stations, public, wala ko nalipay pod sa iyang gibuhat,” Garcia said.
(I will be honest with you in stating that it is probably true that there is distance between us because I also felt not so good, felt bad. What I am doing now, he was not happy about it. In fact, he went to the radio stations, to the public, to say that he was not happy with what I did.)
Last February 16, Rama and Garcia publicly announced their plan to seek reelection together in the 2025 midterm polls.
Rama even confirmed that Garcia would remain his running mate.
“With pride, privilege, and distinction, with no fear of contradiction, still my vice mayor for 2025 is Raymond Garcia,” Rama said.