FORMER Cebu City mayor Mike Rama prematurely celebrated and spoke publicly about his joy sooner than prudence would’ve dictated.
And he went overboard, (a) using superlatives such as “on Cloud Nine,” “exhilaratingly happy,” “exceedingly grateful,” and (b) lumping in his shower of thanks President Duterte with Sto. Nino (one of whom would probably complain).
Last Sunday (Feb. 24), at the PDP-Laban rally in Cebu City, the President raised the hand of Rama, who’s running for vice mayor, along with that of Partido Barug standard bearer Vice Mayor Edgar Labella, who’s challenging incumbent Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Had Duterte “endorsed” only Labella, that would’ve been a big blow to Rama and the Barug-PDP Laban alliance that seeks to topple Mayor Osmeña. It might be seen by the voters as opposition bungling in picking its candidate for vice mayor.
Panelo speculates
Then came this news report Tuesday, or two days after the rally, that Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the raising of Mike’s hand “could just be a sign of courtesy” and was not sure if it was an endorsement or not.
Rain on Mike’s parade, on the same day that Mike was already whooping it up?
Not quite, not yet anyway. Note that Panelo didn’t source the clarification to Duterte. He said he was “not sure of the circumstances” of the incident and was “unsure” if raising Mike’s hand “signaled an endorsement.”
Panelo was speculating. He adequately wrapped his statement as a guess, based on the Jinggoy Estrada-Bong Revilla incident in which the President took back his endorsement of the two senatoriables. Panelo could’ve been prudent too by putting his answer on hold “until I get back to you,” a favorite retort of White House press secretary Sara Huckabee. But what would Panelo care about Mike Rama’s plight? He worries only about boss’s image.
In a limbo
Mike has suffered too long already over his inclusion in Duterte’s “narco list.” That dreaded paper is a kind of limbo in which the person smeared is given no chance to confront his accuser and examine and refute the evidence against him. A number of mistakes in the list have been cited and yet no correction has been made. There is no known mechanism for correction; no regular update to rectify any error.
A local Pdea official said it had not yet received a new narco list and Mike Rama is still in the old one.
Consoling factors
So back to square one. Mike and his supporters though may console themselves with these:
There has been no move to indict Rama and, from his calls and meetings with law enforcement officials, there is no official activity to build up a case against him;
Compared to his political rival, Mayor Tomas Osmena--whom Kerwin Espinosa tagged in an affidavit as alleged recipient of sums of money from the self-confessed drug lord--Rama faces no specific crime in the verbal accusation; “drug protector” is as broad as it can get;
He runs for public office with no pending criminal case, unlike other candidates who’re running with appealed finding of guilt over their heads.
If Rama couldn’t get a categorical clearance on the drug issue or he is not sure he’d be cleared, would he rather not leave the question hanging until after the elections?
He, his party Barug and its ally PDP-Laban wouldn’t wish to diminish its chances in the elections.