IS Cebu City already out of President Rodrigo Duterte’s good graces following his tirade against Mayor Tomas Osmeña?
Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City, south district) does not believe so. For him, Duterte’s remarks against the mayor will not affect the city in terms of projects and other benefits from the National Government.
“Though it was made in his trademark manner of derisive comments, the President apparently was saying he wants to take up with Mayor Tommy in an arranged meeting the issues presumably fed to him,” Abellanosa said.
If all the punch lines of the President are removed, the congressman said that what Duterte said was just his message to Osmeña.
“So we hope that very soon, for the good of the City of Cebu, Mayor Tommy can make the necessary clarifications with the President and the ones who are fabricating the lies can be unmasked,” he added.
Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north district) declined to comment further “until I can have full information on the matter.”
In an interview yesterday, former mayor Michael Rama denied he influenced Duterte to lash out at Osmeña in his speech during Mandaue City’s 49th Charter Day activity last Thursday.
“How can I influence the President, I’m not even cleared,” Rama said, referring to Duterte’s allegation that he is involved in the illegal drug trade.
In his speech, Duterte called out Osmeña for his arrogance and for acting like he owns Cebu City.
“Hoy! Tomas! Dili na ni panahon sa Katsila ha. Kanang style nimo nga mura kag si kinsa taas kaayo ka manulti. Ingon pa ka nga ako kuno, ako protector ng shabu... T*** i**** talaga magkita ta’g, ‘di ko nimo... Anak ka ng p***, ayaw pagtuong kinsa ka. Og di gani ta magkasinabot sa atong istorya, tamparuson taka sa daghang tawo,” he said.
Replying to the President’s comments, Osmeña said in his Facebook page that the President is entitled to say what he wants.
“As a lawyer, I am sure that he knows that there are two sides to any story, and not just what Dino, Rama, and PRO 7 are telling him,” he wrote.
For his part, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 spokesperson Supt. Reyman Tolentin said that Osmeña’s suspicions that police officials are feeding the President information “is his own analysis.”
Tolentin said that PRO 7 was just among the President’s sources of information.
Meanwhile, leaders of Partido Barug Team Rama believe that Duterte’s public attack on Osmeña might work in their favor if the elections were to be held now.
“I have said it and I don’t want to add. The President has said it all. Pasabot, ang among number one campaigner as of today is the President of the Republic of the Philippines,” Rama told reporters in a press conference yesterday.
He said that if elections were held now, “I can guarantee Edgar (Labella) and the whole slate will definitely win” given the situation Osmeña is in.
Rama has announced that he will run for vice mayor in the 2019 elections with Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella as standard bearer of the Partido Barug Team Rama.
In the 2016 elections, Labella was Rama’s runningmate but Rama lost to Osmeña.
Team Rama has yet to reveal its council slate.
Party members signed a joint statement of unity and solidarity yesterday asking the public to join their “moral crusade to restore and give back City Hall and the City Government to our people.”
Labella and Rama said that even without the President’s criticisms, they can defeat Osmeña’s party with their group solidarity.
“Our group is consultative and we come up with a consensus. We believe that the sentiment of all members should prevail among others. No one can claim monopoly and everyone listens. This is not power, but a responsibility for all of us,” Labella said.
In a Facebook post dated Aug. 30, Osmeña said he is ready to run for mayor against Labella.
“This is very good for both our parties, but this is even better for Cebu. Everybody knows that Walkout Edgar is Team Suyop’s stronger candidate anyway, so he is the rational choice for them to field as standard bearer. But this is even better for us because while I can very much beat Edgar, ANYBODY can beat Mike. This means that after 2019, Cebu City will finally have a vice-mayor who will NOT abuse his power to work against Cebu’s interests, NOT ask Michael Dino to block national projects meant for Cebu City, and NOT walk out of the session hall when he cannot bully the Council into letting him override the majority,” Osmeña said. RTF, RVC, With JOB