Annabelle willing to sacrifice

ANNABELLE Rama, cousin of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, said she will give up her salary in Congress and will give half of her income as talent manager to fund projects and different programs for the north district constituents if she will be elected.

This was the promise made by Annabelle in a news conference yesterday, as she clarified a headline that came out in a local newspaper (not Sun.Star Cebu) that said she will not bring Michael to the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), the party she recently joined.

Annabelle, who is running for Congress to represent the city’s north district, pointed out that what she said was she will let the mayor decide for himself on what national party he will join for the 2013 elections.

“Mayor baya siya. Di ko manghilabot niya (He is the mayor. I don’t want to meddle) because he knows what he’s doing. Naa na koy partido pero Team Rama man gyud gihapon ko (I already have a party but I remain loyal to the Team Rama),” she said.

The mayor is still waiting for a response from the Liberal Party (LP) on his request that he and his team be also given a certificate of nomination. Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) already got his.

Osmeña and Rama will be facing each other in the mayoral race in next year’s polls.

Asked what made her join the PMP, Annabelle said, it is because her family has always been close with the party head, former president Joseph Estrada.

Asked what she will do for the north district if she will be elected, Annabelle said she will give her salary to the barangays as well as 50 percent of her income as talent manager.

“Gusto nako matilawan nila ang akong kahago. I-sacrifice nako na bahala di na ko kapalit og bag ug alahas (I want the people of the north district to also take part of what I have because of my hard work. I am willing to sacrifice, even if it means I would no longer be able to buy a bag and jewelry),” she said.

Annabelle said her priority projects once elected would include establishing learning centers in all the barangays of the city as well as to help address flooding problem.

Annabelle is optimistic she will defeat either Rep. Rachel Del Mar (Cebu City, north district) or Raul, whoever will run between the two of them, because of the “overwhelming response” she gets from the public.

She said she was warmly accepted by the people during her pulong-pulong (dialogue) in the different barangays.

As to the pulong-pulong, Annabelle asked Osmeña to exclude her from his verbal attacks. She said she doesn’t want to quarrel with him as she is close with Sen. Serge Osmeña III, Tomas’s older brother.

“Nakadungog man ko nga gi-atake ko niya. Ayaw lang ana dong kay bati man na. Pero kung hilabtan gyud ko ninyo, mosukol ra ba gyud ko (I heard that he attacked me. Please don’t do that. That is not good. But if he would really want to fight with me, I will not falter),” she said.

Annabelle will come back to Cebu City next week to file her certificate of candidacy, which the Commission will receive on Elections on Oct. 1 to 5.