Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña yesterday entered City Hall to jumpstart his campaign to get his old seat back.
Wearing their blue and yellow campaign shirts, Osmeña and his partymates at Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) arrived at City Hall just as reelectionist Mayor Michael Rama and congressional candidate Anabelle Rama and their group were dancing to their campaign jingle at the Plaza Sugbu grounds.
Both the BO-PK and Team Rama started their day hearing Mass at the San Pedro Calungsod Chapel at South Road Properties and the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral respectively.
Mayor Rama then led his group to a flag raising ceremony at the Plaza Sugbu grounds .
Then the mayor called on his candidates to join him in front and led them to the dancing of the Team Rama jingle, an original composition.
While Team Rama members were performing, the BO-PK candidates started arriving at City Hall and converged at the office of re-electionist Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young where they had coffee, popcorn and cheeseburgers for breakfast.
They waited for about an hour for Team Rama candidates to finish their gig before they started visiting the various offices.
Councilor Margot Osmeña said they opted to wait because they did not want to time their handshaking with Team Rama candidates.
Team Rama candidates Lotlot Ignacio and Ronald Diola of the south district and Felicisimo Rupinta of the north district visited the Vice Mayor’s Office to greet the BO-PK candidates.
“Gusto lang mi magpa-ila nila kay dili man mi kontra sa personal,” said Ignacio.
Shortly before 10 am, BO-PK candidates started to move around the City Hall’s Legislative Building. Their first stop was at the Public Information Office on the ground floor.
Handshaking at City Gall is a practice Osmena’s BO-PK has been doing in the last elections.
“I feel good about this campaign because I like where we now stand,” said Rep. Osmeña.
Mayor Rama said he decided to also start with a handshaking sortie at City Hall because he wanted to start their campaign “with family.”
Health Issues
Sharon Jakosalem represented her ailing husband, former city councilor and Cebu Integrated Traffic Operations Management board chairman Sylvan Jakosalem in yesterday’s sortie.
Sharon also danced with Team Rama candidates.
Before she left home, Sharon said she told her husband that she was attending the Team Rama campaign and Jack nodded his head.
“I told him that I’m doing this for you and because of your love to continue to serve,” she said.
Although confined to a wheelchair and still unable to speak, Sharon said her husband’s health is improving.
Mayor Rama said he wanted Jack to continue to be their candidate until changes will have to be made.
“Just do not make them use health concerns as an issue in their campaign becuase we still do not know who else will end up getting sick,” the mayor said.
Osmeña, however, said that raising poor health as a campaign issue is a tactic used by their opponents.
“That is their prayer because that is their only chance of winning. They have been spreading disinformation that he (former Rep. Raul del Mar) is going to collapse and die but that is not going to happen,” he said.
Del Mar for his part laughed at rumors that he was seriously ill and was confined at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital.
“Ug na ICU pa ko, wala unta ko diri karon,” he said.
(If I were at the ICU, I wouldn’t be here.) /Doris C. Bongcac, Chief of Reporters