Political alliance collapses

CEBU CITY—The fragile alliance that brought two of the city’s most recognized politicians together has fallen apart, stirring the city’s political rumor mill and threatening to blow up into what could be one of Cebu’s ugliest political rivalries.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama announced he has left the administration party, Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), in the wake of his public spat with BOPK head, Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña.

Rama said in a news conference on Thursday noon that he could no longer be part of a group that didn’t want him anymore.

“How I can say that I belong to this group (BOPK) when they keep on saying that I don’t. I would be a hypocrite to say that I still belong to this group. I am declaring myself independent from BOPK,” Rama said.

He said he believed that the BOPK had a hand in the filing of charges against him at the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas over his alleged failure to provide a relocation site for displaced families near Mahiga Creek.

Although the complaint was filed by Pagtambayayong Foundation Inc. (PFI), Rama said PFI was headed by Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, a close ally of Osmeña who used to be the city administrator when Osmeña was Cebu City mayor from 2001 to 2010.

The PFI sued Rama and three other city officials on behalf of urban poor settlers evicted from a slum along the Mahiga River in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.

The city officials were accused of violating the Urban Development and Housing Act (Republic Act No. 7279) when they failed to provide relocation for  more than 200 families before demolishing their homes.

But Rama said he believed that Osmeña was behind the suit since the congressman had been publicly criticizing him for taking down the structures along Mahiga Creek.

“They cannot fire me because I quit,” he said, adding that he would continue to be with the Liberal Party.

The decision of Rama to leave the BOPK didn’t come as a surprise after he and Osmeña had started to drift apart shortly after he took over as mayor.

Osmeña didn’t hide his disdain over Rama’s policies, including the decision to demolish the homes of more than 200 families along Mahiga Creek despite the absence of a relocation site.

The congressman was not also happy that Rama had become closer to Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Osmeña’s archenemy.