Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said he was not feeling insecure, as alleged by critics, about not being invited to the presidential visit in Danao City last Saturday.
Rama said he understands that he had no role there because it concerned provincial politics of the Liberal Party.
He expressed confidence that he would get the administration party’s endorsement in the 2013 mayoral election since he’s been a loyal party member.
“Nganong dili man ako ang ilang suportahan? Wala man ko makig away sa LP,” the mayor said.
(Why will they not support me. I have not picked a fight with the LP.)
Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña gladly rubbed it in that he was among those invited to be present for the visit of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III in Danao City.
He said it was “good for me” and that the invitation could already point to who LP would support in for mayor in 2013.
Mayor Rama disagreed.
“I have never been insecure politically. I do not know with my predecessor,” he said.
However, Rama would not answer when asked if he has a contingency plan in case LP would indeed chose to support Osmeña over him.
“Ang plano mo abot ra na. Pero unsa pa may imong planohon ug planstado na tanan,” he said.
(Plans come naturally. But then again, what is there to plan when everything is already taken care of?)
Rama said that as leader of Team Rama he has ways instilled in the minds of his members and Cebu City residents that his group is allied with LP “to prevent confusion.”
But the mayor does not deny the fact that former south district representative Antonio Cuenco and Councilor Jose Daluz III, Team Rama’s campaign manager, are now allied with the PDP Laban.
Cuenco is being groomed as Team Rama’s north district congressional bet.
Rama said that while he is good friends with Vice President Jejomar Binay, he has not been invited to join the United National Alliance because the vice president respects his loyalty to the LP.
Rama criticzied Osmeña for claiming LP support despite his earlier announcement that he is running a city campaign with the Bando Osmena -Pundok Kauswagan even without the support of a national party.
To show his party loyalty, Rama said he supported all their national bets in the 2010 election unlike Osmeña who he said campaigned for Loren Legarda in the vice presidential race. /Edison A. delos Angeles, Correspondent