What now, Mayor Mike?

After the (some say) surprising come-from-behind victory of Mayor Mike Rama against his mentor-turned-tormentor, people are now saying that Cebu City is finally about to turn a corner. Before we proceed with that all-important turn, let me write down some of the reasons I overheard some people say why Mayor Mike won.

There is this strain that says some people, especially those in the middle and upper middle classes, were turned off by those “Type O” stickers that instead of a smiley face, showed an angry face. This means Mayor Mike or his performance as mayor had nothing to do with the decision of the voters who decided in his favor.

There is another strain that says the flyover issue galvanized a lot of people, many of them owners of firms that would have been affected. They made an active civil society group that continuously put up the agenda of making Cebu liveable.

Then there is another that says the survey that the University of San Carlos Department of Political Science did help Mayor Mike see the gaps in his campaign strategy and find ways to quickly correct them.

Whatever the case, Michael Lopez Rama now enters the historical record of repeating what his grandfather did for the first time in the 1920s: Bring down a formidable opponent and slay a dragon–something, as it were, that those brave enough to try failed miserably to do. To the uninformed, Sen. Vicente Rama, Mayor Mike’s grandfather, then a young newspaper publisher, ran against a candidate anointed and funded by the equally young Don Sergio Osmeña, head of the moneyed Nacionalista Party, against the former’s fledgling Partido Democrata for the House of Representatives of the Third District.

The victory delivered a telling blow against  the Nacionalista and placed Cebu in the orbit of the opposition Partido Democrata of Claro M. Recto, among others. V. Rama continued on this path, winning in election after election until it came to the point that Don Sergio eventually invited him to join the Nacionalista, which he graciously did and continued winning  further.

The reverse has apparently happened in the case of their grandchildren, Mayor Mike vis-à-vis Rep. Tomas Osmeña, who started as allies and friends and have ended up on the opposite side of the political fence.

Understandably, a very surprised Tomas Osmeña, true to form, is not accepting the results as of now. Nonetheless, Mayor Mike’s proclamation has been made and we are seeing what everyone hopes will be a much better three-year term, with four or five councillors coming from his party, the United National Alliance (UNA). Not that he did not perform well during his first term but that term was short-circuited by an opposition city council that often clipped his wings.

There is one gap that I personally look forward to during this term: a more comprehensive heritage program for the city, from the cultural mapping of at least the barangays within the old Spanish and American sections of the city to the declaration of more heritage sites (including historic residences) and the creation of buffer zones within these sites. The drainage problem that confronts these sites, especially Parian, Sanciangco and Colon, shall hopefully be fully addressed as it is being addressed now.

The final end of this whole program will hopefully result in a high sense of belonging and pride among  residents in these areas about their role in the historical development of the city. This is something that remains to be felt and seen at the moment—especially when looking at local knowledge and appreciation of heritage beyond the usual touristic sites like Magellan’s Kiosk, Basilica del Sto. Niño, the Cebu Cathedral, Casa Gorordo, Fort San Pedro and the Heritage Monument. Thus, the task will not be easy. But the heritage movement, which I suspect voted for Mayor Mike, expect no less from him.

Congratulations, Mayor Mike and the people of Cebu City!