Proxy war in City Hall

The line has been drawn between Mayor Michael Rama and former south district congressman Tomas Osmeña in the supposedly non-partisan barangay election.

Not content with the outcome of the May 2013 elections where Rama upset plans for a City Hall comeback for Osmeña, their political machines are heating up again in the runup to today’s start of the filing of Certificates of Candidacy for barangay posts in the October 28 polls.

In the City Council, where Mayor Rama has only five allies including the vice mayor, Osmeña is the proxy boss with 12 elected councilors and two sympathetic ex officio members in the heads of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) and the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).

Mayor Rama needs a friendly ABC president.

The Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan can still command a two-thirds vote with 12 councilors to override any veto by the mayor, but having more allies in Cebu City’s 80 barangays would boost Rama’s stock in a reelection three years down the line.

The BO-PK, on the other hand, has to regain lost ground in the barangays if Osmeña wants to return to City Hall in 2016.

No wonder Osmeña is conspicuously working behind the scenes with his political lieutenants in the communities.

No wonder also that Rama is using resources within his reach as chief executive to win the favor of barangay leaders.

Last week, Osmeña’s allies in government raised a chorus of objections about the “politicizing” of the release of the second tranche of the senior citizen’s cash assistance of P2,000.

This week, the BO-PK answered by stalling approval of supplemental budget 2 which includes Rama’s promised contributions for the barangays to the Commission on Election (Comelec).

The Comelec has been breathing down the neck of barangay councils who don’t want to or can’t fork over for their mandated contribution for election expenses.

Quick to the rescue, Rama stepped in and covered the outlay in his proposed SB2. But last Wednesday, the City Council stalled action on the budget and asked barangay councils to shell out at least P10,000 for the Comelec.

No one would admit it, but politics has reared its ugly head again.

Is this the way governance will continue up to the October 28 vote and extend to the 2016 presidential election?