PEOPLE talk about...
[1] A WOMAN SUING FOR DIVORCE WHO COMPLAINS HER HUSBAND IS TOO GOOD. It happened in United Arab Emirates but it strikes a universal chord on wives who have complaints against husbands. Wives usually gripe about being neglected or beaten up or otherwise abused by their spouses. This UAE wife told the judge her husband is so good she longs for the day when she would've a reason to quarrel with him. Would the judge grant her request to dissolve the "unhappy" union?
[2] LABELLA'S SOURCE OF SOLICITED/UNSOLICITED ADVICE. It's not known where Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella is getting his advice on City Hall policies. But since he is abroad now, he'd most likely get it from his traveling companions, mostly members of his "Walk and Talk" club in Cebu. On the current "crisis" with his vice mayor, Mike Rama, he'd be getting some pieces of the mind, solicited or not, from his "W&T" buddies.
SFI members' options
Only Cebu City Vice Mayor Mike Rama has been heard from yet. A newly elected Sinulog Foundation chairman, who replaced the 2018 chairman (for the 2019 Sinulog). VM Mike was the first to complain publicly about being "surprised" over the creation of a Sinulog Governing Board by Mayor Edgar Labella. Members of SFI have yet to express their opinion publicly.
It is most unlikely that anyone will speak out individually. The SFI members are mostly prominent and successful business leaders who would rather leave the public discussion to politicians. But how they feel about the changes, without having been apprised about them before they were made, should be interesting to know. VM Rama was supposed to call them to a meeting, if they haven't met already.
They may choose to go along with the new setup -- which will have the Sinulog Governing Board taking over some of the functions of SFI and overseeing the Sinulog -- and accept seats in the SGB (five are allocated to SFI) or leave the Sinulog volunteer work altogether.
The SFI A-list members include Augusto Go, Frederick Ong, Edward Gaisano, Michel Lhuillier, Alfred Go, Edward Co, and Edward Hayco.
The executive committee is composed of former Cebu City Councilor Joy Pesquera and executive director Jojo Labella, the mayor's brother.
Mayor as chairman
Cebu City is said to be the biggest contributor to the Sinulog Foundation -- P25 million a year, according to the mayor -- and that could be the reason the mayor is usually the chairman of the foundation. Last year's SFI chairman, for the 2019 Sinulog last January, was then mayor Tomas Osmeña.
After the Labella-Rama team took over, there was reportedly an election at SFI with Rama elected as chairman and former councilor Joy Pesquera in the Execom, with the mayor's brother as executive director.
With the creation of the Sinulog Governing Board, the mayor is again on top of the Sinulog, not the vice mayor. Is that part of the intended consequences of the EO creating the SGB?
Will Tomas keep his seat?
Former mayor Tomas Osmeña, Mike said, was the latest member to join the SFI. It's not known if Tomas joined the reorganization meeting that elected Mike as chairman.
And would Tomas keep his seat in the SFI after his loss in the election? If he earned his SFI post because of his being mayor, didn't he lose it when he was replaced by Mayor Labella?
The Rama camp must wonder if the SGB was just a creative way to ease him out as top honcho of Sinulog, which gives a lot of exposure to publicity-loving politicians. But then, the Labella defenders will say, Edgar has not been known for publicity-seeking.
Those who speculate on a brewing dispute within Partido Barug see something worse: a systematic effort to take the wind out Mike Rama's wings, in preparation for 2021.
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