CEBU City Mayor Mike Rama must have been greatly affected by the demise of his cousin, Basak San Nicolas barangay captain George, his strongest link to the community. His critics thought he needed some good night’s sleep after George’s burial.
CEBU City Mayor Mike Rama must have been greatly affected by the demise of his cousin, Basak San Nicolas barangay captain George, his strongest link to the community. His critics thought he needed some good night’s sleep after George’s burial.
May George Rama’s soul rest in eternal peace with our Creator. Our heartfelt condolence to the Rama clan.
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Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña, wife of former congressman/mayor Tomas, gave an advice during her interview by dyCM’s Jason Monteclar Tuesday morning. Monteclar asked her for her view on the plan of the city mayor to transfer the City Hall to the South Road Properties (SRP).
Mayor Mike’s current predicament is understandable. Aside from George’s death, Mayor Rama is faced with the problem on garbage collection. No, it would be rude to say that he is temporarily suffering from selective amnesia.
I was busy during the weekend as our Rotary Club of Cebu South hosted our sister Rotary Club of Yotsukaido, Japan on a trip to our beneficiary, the Tulay Day Center in Minglanilla, Cebu. We also had a medical mission Sunday in Sambag 1. Thus I was not able to read the news that time.
I was therefore surprised to hear from Councilor Margot that Mayor Rama wants to put up a complex for government offices and functions at the SRP in the future.
I reviewed the news online and one of the headlines in the local dailies ran this way: “Rama dreaming of moving City Hall to SRP.” Well, dreaming is free. But Councilor
Margot has a point when she said that the city is yet to build the new city hospital.
Transferring the City Hall to the SRP and having a contemporary museum in the area has “been my dream, long time ago,” Rama said during his press conference at City Hall on Friday.
The city mayor must have said it on purpose even if he knows that his term would end next year and that his reelection bid looks dim without George. He also overlooked the point that the city is yet to start the construction of the building for the city hospital that he calls “People’s Hospital.”
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Mayor Rama reorganized the city’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) in preparation for the rebidding of the construction of the new city hospital building. BAC disqualified the lowest bidder, WTG Construction, in the previous bidding.
Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, the CCMC ad hoc committee chair and Team Rama member, disclosed the BAC’s decision to disqualify WTG but Mayor Rama rebuked her and said the announcement was premature.
He now named City Attorney Gerone Castillo as chair of the new BAC with City Administrator Lucelle Mercado, the mayor’s chief of staff Dominic Diño, City Planning and Development Office Head Engr. Kenneth Enriquez, City Budget Officer Marietta Gumia and Engr. Joel Reston of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) as members.
It was never too late for Mayor Rama to realize that the composition of the first BAC was legally infirm. City Engr. Jose Marie Poblete, City Health Department head Dr. Daisy Villa and Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, who were in the BAC before, were not reappointed.
Are we to believe that Mayor Rama and his ally, Councilor de los Santos, have already broken up politically? I heard from the grapevine that the mayor and the councilor have differences in their political decisions.
The disagreements between Mayor Rama and de los Santos was fueled by rumors that “M & M” would be the candidates for mayor and vice mayor in next year’s polls. It is not the chocolate brand but the initials of Councilors Margot and Mary Ann.
Councilor Margot would not deny or admit the rumor that she will run for mayor next year with Mary Ann as her running mate. Margot even joked that “M & M” is still a chocolate.
Will the partnership of Mayor Rama and Vice Mayor Edgar Labella be in peril in next year’s elections against the women power of “M & M”? This is worth following folks.
(freezone.ellie588@gmail.com)