AFTER allegations of abandoning his political partymates, preventively suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has strongly denied allegations from some of his political allies that he abandoned them, asserting instead that they were the ones who left him hanging.
Rama, in a press conference on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, responded to statements made by Cebu City Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. and other councilors, who claimed they felt abandoned after Rama announced his potential lineup for the 2025 midterm elections during a radio interview on Aug. 19.
Alcover was notably absent from the mayor’s tentative list.
However, Rama clarified that Alcover is still part of his potential lineup, which he has organized in a folder.
“Wa ko mamiya,. Tuo mo nga namiya ko, wala! Kanang foldera makita ninyo diha nga apil pa ang ilahang mga pangalan,” Rama said while showing a folder in front of the local media.
(I did not abandon anyone. If you think I did, you’re wrong. You can see in the folder that their names are still included.)
The mayor emphasized that it was he who was abandoned by his allies.
“Dili na man sila manubag sa teleono nako. Mao na ang tinuod. Sige ko og tawag pero dili manubag,” he added.
(They don't even answer my calls anymore. That's the truth. I keep calling, but they don't respond.)
Alcover ran under Rama’s Partido Barug- Team Rama during the May 2019 elections.
In the same press conference, Rama discussed the other personalities and politicians under consideration for his lineup, including his nephew, Rep. Eduardo Rama Jr. (Cebu City, South District), his son, lawyer Mikel Rama, Acting Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros, and Councilors Joy Pesquera, Francis Esparis, Phillip Zafra, Noel Wenceslao, Bacayan Barangay Captain Winston Pepito, Cogon-Pardo Barangay Captain Harry Eran, Cebu City United Vendors’ Association president Maria Pino, Cebu City Medical Center chief Dr. Peter Mancao, businessman Harold Go, and former Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president Jessica Resch.
Rama also mentioned a potential alliance with ex-officio Councilor Franklyn Ong, a known member of Bando Osmeña–Pundok Kauswagan, as part of his possible lineup.
This list was consistent with the names Rama revealed during his August 2024 radio interview.
Alcover, speaking on August 20, said he respected Rama's decision regarding his potential lineup but clarified that it was Rama who had left them, not the other way around.
Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who was Rama’s running mate in the 2022 general elections and his potential partner for the 2025 midterm election, expressed a similar sentiment.
Rama had previously stated that he felt abandoned by Garcia, especially after the two officials became estranged during Rama’s six-month preventive suspension.
Garcia, the elected vice mayor, took over as acting mayor after Rama began serving his suspension, along with seven other City Hall officials and employees, as ordered by the Ombudsman last May. / EHP