Poor politics

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama finally signed the  budget for 2012 but vetoed  items that  the City Council had cut, like the comprehensive drainage project, restoration of the three-meter easement, the budget for new buildings for various offices in City Hall,  purchase of a barge and police cars, terminal construction, road widening, a master plan, retirement plan, the Cogon-Ramos Park, relocation of the fire department, Osmeña Shrine, security and traffic CCTV cameras.

Rama said  he had to exercise his veto power because the items that were deleted would have addressed concerns of the poor.  What I can’t understand is why the council deleted the budget for a master plan when this is   so  important for a developing city. The rest of the budget deletions showed that the councilors don’t want Rama to succeed in running the city. Unfortunately what the council did was to let the people of Cebu City suffer because of politics.

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The year 2012 will be an exciting one for politics as parties  start forming teams for their local slates.

For the province of Cebu, the question is, who will Gov. Gwen Garcia field for governor in 2013? What about Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale? Will she run for governor with Junjun  Davide as vice governor? That’s the talk in  political circles because the team would be a  formidable pair. Recall that Governor  Garcia won the governorship in 2010 largely because of  votes delivered by Magpale’s clan, the Duranos of the 5th district.

But is it also possible for Magpale to run for governor or vice governor under the One Cebu party of Gwen? A Cristina Codilla-Agnes Magpale tandem for the province of Cebu? What about the governor? What is her political plan after her third term ends in 2013?  Will she run for the Senate or for Congress, replacing her dad Noy Pabling in the 2nd district of Cebu?

In Cebu City, the battle will be between Mayor Rama and the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK). The question is, who among the councilors will stick with  the BO-PK. Edu Rama, the mayor’s nephew,  will surely campaign for the mayor’s reelection but what’s interesting is    who  the mayor will decide to choose as his running mate against Vice Mayor Joy Young, and who  Rama will pick as councilors and congressmen for the north and south districts.

Will Rep. Tommy Osmeña make a comeback as  Cebu City mayor?  By the middle of the year, political tandems will  already surface.

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I am so elated that Blessed Pedro Calungsod will be canonized. I’m  praying  hard it  will happen this year. Today I’m asking Blessed Pedro to intercede for me especially about my health concerns. Last year was not a good one  for my health. Last Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, I had my first high blood attack in school. In September,  I had a mild heart attack.  I thank the Lord I survived both episodes.

There’s truth to the saying that if one would like to lose weight, one may as well have a heart attack to find the motivation.  I lost about 30 pounds after the mild heart attack. Today I continually pray to God,  Sto. Niño, the Birhen sa Guadalupe and Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pedro Calungsod to guide and protect me from danger, death and temptation.