Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama didn’t mince words when he warned City Hall regular and contractual employees yesterday against supporting the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) party.
In a press conference, Rama said disloyalty to his administration could mean non-renewal of work contracts for casuals and the reassignment of regular employees.
“That’s is my prerogative (as mayor) and I will exercise my prerogative because whether we like it or not politics has to come into the picture…it will be the height of hypocrisy if I don’t give preference to those who are with me,” he said.
Rama said it was a “political reality” for the incumbent mayor to prefer hiring those who support him.
He said he was doing a “reality check” in City Hall rather than a “loyalty check”.
“As for those who will display that they are not with me, that would mean loss of trust and confidence (on my part as city mayor) and that is something that I will have to exercise my prerogative on,” he said.
His rival in next year’s election, Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeñasaid Rama’s pronouncement showed he vindictive and abusive.
“He is saying that it’s normal? A political reality? No that is not normal,” said Osmeña, who warned that Rama may be charged for violation of his oath of office if he does this.
Osmeña caused a major upset for Rama when the congressman received the eceived the Liberal Party’s endorsement and the authority to sign the certificates of candidacy for LP bets in Cebu City.
Left without LP support, Rama hopes to be adopted by the PDP-Laban-United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) ticket and is still awaiting his papers from them.
Vice President Jejomar Binay, head of PDP Laban, confirmed in an interview with ABS-CBN yesterday that Rama was already with UNA.
James Cuenco, PDP Laban Cebu City chairman and Team Rama north district council candidate said PDP-Laban national Secretary General Jose “Peping Cojuango already issued a certification to them last Saturday night.
Cuenco left for Manila last Monday afternoon to collect their papers.
Last Monday morning, Rama told City Hall employees before the flag-raising ceremony about his exit from LP.
He also met with all department employees and department heads in closed door meetings that lasted from last Monday afternoon to yesterday afternoon.
Asked later by reporters what the meeting was for, Rama replied, “I told them that I would file my candidacy so at least they would know.”
Asked about the need for the closed department meetings, Rama replied, “that’s my style…that’s about the employees and me.”
But he admitted that he warned casual employees about the consequences of supporting BO-PK.
“At the time their contracts will be renewed, why would I renew them when I don’t trust them? But give me the opportunity not to have to make that decision,” Rama told Cebu Daily News.
Osmeña said it was a sign of desperation on Rama’s part to threaten workers with job security.
The congressman said Rama scrapped the Mayor’s Management Team (MMT) and canceled contracts of some City Hall casuals and dropped some BO-PK barangay officials
“He (Rama) may have forgotten that these barangay captains and city hall employees which he fired were the same people who voted for him in the 2010 election,” Osmeña said.
A City Council employee said she skipped one of the meetings out of fear.
Another council employee who joined the meeting said Rama’s message lasted almost 20 minutes.
Before they were allowed to leave the social hall, the mayor stood at the door and shook hands with all of them.
Rama told the employees that whoever had wet hands were nervous and indicated that he or she sided with BO-PK.
The female employee said her hands were damp when she shook the mayor’s hands since she was nervous and she immediately left the session hall after.
Rama said he didn’t have to keep track of those who skipped his meeting saying “that’s their loss, not mine.”