Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wanted to give the chairmanship of the Regional Development Council in the Central Visayas region (RDC 7) another try.
“I am still interested with the RDC chairmanship and we have huge projects that require RDC involvement,” Rama said yesterday.
Rama said there are several unfinished businesses like the planned third bridge to connect Cebu City to Cordova town in the Mactan Island and the planned bridge that will connect Cordova town to Bohol province.
There is also the proposed Cebu circumferential road project, the trans-axial highway project of the late Cebu vice governor Gregorio Sanchez and a plan to come up with a mass transport system in the city that needed his attention.
And he believes that, sitting as chairman of the RDC would be favorable to these projects.
“But it will all be up to the president (if he will support my re-election bid) because I have not been remiss (of my responsibilities) as the RDC 7 chairman. I’m leaving it all up to the president,” he said.
So far, Rama said he has no idea who among the key local chief executives in Central Visayas are interested in the RDC 7 chairmanship.
Mayor Rama was elected RDC chairman during his first term as Cebu City mayor in 2010. He is also the current head of the Visayas Regional Development Council.
The RDC election will be held in September when they convene for the third quarter meeting.
Rama also counted the prevention of the construction of new flyovers in Cebu City as among his achievements as RDC chairman.
He said that construction of new flyover projects, if allowed, will only convert Cebu City into a “turtle city.”
Like the RDC, Rama is also interested with the national presidency of the League of Cities of the Philippines.
While admitting that his plans may be contingent to the plans of the president, he still wishes the president will not intervene and field his choice of candidates for the two positions.
Rama ran under the Liberal Party of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III in 2010. He however was snubbed in this year’s election after the administration party nominated Cebu south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña as its mayoralty bet in Cebu City.
He won his reelection under the United Nationalist Alliance of Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay.