THE longer Vice Mayor Michael Rama stays as acting mayor, the more his spine will be tested, like what happened in the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) building permit fuss. That’s the price his ambition to become city mayor with the support of Mayor Tomas Osmeña is extracting from him. And I think he is willing to pay the price.

Also, the longer Rama stays as acting mayor, the more will City Administrator Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez become high profile. Osmeña is using him as a foil just in case the vice mayor escapes from his noose. I even doubt if Fernandez takes seriously any Rama order that contradicts the diktat of Osmeña, who is but a text message away.

On the other hand, Councilor Hilario Davide III needs to have a longer stint as acting mayor so he will find his voice, like when he reacted to Capitol’s announcement to challenge Filinvest’s bid for South Road Properties lot. Davide is one of the lawyers in the Council whose official acts failed to equal his image (inherited from his namesake).

While we are still at it, the outcome of the controversy over the CPPO building permit showed that being passive does not always work. City Hall officials may not have mentioned it but I think it is not just mere coincidence that they softened in their stance only after Rep. Pablo John Garcia threatened to sue them if they mess with the document.

As for Capitol’s announcement to challenge the Filinvest bid, I think it was more to humor City officials and Mayor Tomas Osmeña than anything else. Capitol knows that nothing would be more disturbing for City officials than when some entity challenges their plan to partner with Filinvest. It would be months of “hard work” going down the drain.

By making the announcement, Capitol hopes to do two things: one, focus public attention on the Filinvest bid and, two, expose whatever sweetheart deal the City will have with Filinvest, if City officials are concocting it. I therefore find Fernandez’s press-statements-exchange with Garcia interesting. It has improved my SRP vocabulary.

Thus, peaceful co-existence between Capitol and City Hall may not be as productive as allowing them to challenge each other’s policies, if the point is the need for fiscalizing. This is more so because there is no strong opposition in the City Council and the Provincial Board for now. The exchange, though, should not lead to paralysis or disruption of services.

(khanwens@yahoo.com/ my blog: cebuano.wordpress.com)

(November 20, 2008 issue)