ALL’S well in the Labella-Rama camp despite the fact that many of his supporters remain disenchanted by his decision to make the “supreme sacrifice” of running for vice mayor instead of mayor, former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama told us yesterday morning.
It was an innocent question on Frankahay Ta (dyCM 11:52 AM) that prompted Mike to issue the clarification. I asked him how their campaign was going and he prefaced his answer with the statement, “if we are united.” Pressed for an explanation, he admitted that not just few but many of his loyal followers are still disappointed that he chose to “slide down” in favor of Labella in order to unite the opposition in Cebu City.
Rama, however, assured his coalition partners that he has been trying to persuade the recalcitrant to support the entire ticket and that his efforts were successful although not completely as there are still some holdouts. He said he will continue to dialog with them.
For weeks now, there have been talks about some Rama allies promoting an Osmeña-Rama ticket purportedly because they believe that with Osmeña as mayor, the path is easier for Rama to become mayor again than with Labella, who is eligible to serve nine years. Labella is aware of the rumors but he dismisses them as political intrigue.
Rama read the situation correctly when he emphasized that unity is needed if they wanted to give Osmeña a run for his money (Rama’s words). But as the former mayor admitted, the process is a little complicated, given the diversity of the coalition that is supporting their ticket. It used to be just Team Rama, he lamented, but now with the entry of other partners like PDP-Laban, it is much more complicated.
It could have been much simpler if Rama had been recruited to PDP-Laban. But that did not happen and probably will not happen soon because the party’s titular head, President Duterte, has not retracted his earlier charge that Rama was a drug protector when he was in office.
It is an accusation that continues to rankle Rama. That was evident during our interview when he talked about being unfairly accused after we asked him if there had been problems between him and his former overseer in the construction of a new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), City Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos, involving the bidding for the new CCMC. (He said that there was none.)
Rama has steadfastly protested his being tagged as a narco-politician and has sought the assistance of everyone he thought could help him secure clearance from the President. He has sought audience with Duterte a number of times although little has been known about how far he has gone in talking to the President beyond the selfies that appear in the newspapers and on social media every now and then.
But note must be made of the fact that although Duterte has not cleared him, he has also no longer mentioned in his speeches and other pronouncements Rama’s name as a drug coddler. It may not be the vindication that Mike hoped he could obtain after he made his “personal sacrifice” but it’s a good start.
It is, of course, perfectly understandable if Mike, his family and allies will not be satisfied with just good starts. The accusation against him was brutal as it was shocking, his vindication should also be as dramatic. That it has not come is also said to be one of the reasons for Mike’s misgivings because he thinks the President’s local allies have interceded enough for him.
Labella and Rama do not have any problems with each other, that is obvious, but many of their supporters have. That may be a minor inconvenience now but it can become a major headache unless it is satisfactorily addressed. And they don’t have the luxury of time.