BANDO Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan clobbered Barug Team Rama and the PDP-Laban in last Monday’s elections but former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama does not look at the results as a rejection but a challenge. That was what he told us in an interview on Frankahay Ta on dyCM (1152 AM) on Friday morning.
He also announced that he is definitely running for mayor in 2019, breaking a promise he made to Vice Mayor Edgar Labella in 2016, which he will probably justify because he gave that assurance on the assumption that he would not be cheated in that year’s election.
Indeed, to this day, Rama insists that he would have been the mayor of southern Philippines premier city (or have we lost that distinction to Davao City already?) until now had his enemy (opponent would be an inadequate description for both) Tomas Osmeña not robbed him. Which is why he believes that only he can beat the latter.
A report in The Freeman last Friday may have bolstered his confidence. It said that between him and Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Mike Dino, he has a better trust rating according to a Social Weather Stations survey. Rama lost no time in calling a press conference to thank the Cebuanos for their support.
What baffles me is why his numbers should be compared to Dino’s considering that the latter has repeatedly denied any plan to run for public office. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. And who is Atty. Paul Nejudne who is said to have sponsored the survey? Who is he working for?
I searched the Internet and the only clue that I got was a signboard that describes him as a Notary Public and Legal Advocate. The SWS website had a very interesting content, however, and unfortunately for Rama, it is not very encouraging to his planned battle with Osmeña.
My instincts tell me to be always wary of commissioned surveys and honestly, my initial questions on the why’s and the how’s of the survey remains. But for whatever it may be worth, let me cite what I found in a media release in the SWS home page.
It says there that the “survey found that 75 percent of those who are aware of Tomas Osmeña have much trust in him, 10 percent are undecided, and 14 percent have little trust, for a very good net trust rating of 61”percent.”
Rama’s rating was not mentioned in the media release but that of Dino was. It said that 30 percent of those who are aware of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas have much trust in him, 31percent are undecided, and 21 percent have little trust, earning him a net trust rating of +9 percent.
The same media release claimed that 72 percent of the respondents support the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), 21percent are undecided, and 7 percent agree. Osmeña and Dino are at loggerheads over the BRT. This probably explain why Osmeña’s ratings are compared to Dino’s while no mention was made about Rama’s, not in the media release anyway.