Rama camp eyes tightening political grip with ABC presidency win on Wednesday

The proxy war between Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and former mayor Tomas Osmeña will come to a head on Wednesday when barangay captains vote who among them will represent the villages in the City Council.
The Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) yesterday had a general assembly at the ABC building in the South Road Properties where they designated who will compose the  election and nomination committees as well as to discuss the credentials of the barangay captains.
“The meeting went well. There were conflicting issues like whether the delinquents should be allowed to vote. But at the end, the group has decided to allow all members to vote and be voted for, even those who are delinquents in the payment of their dues,” Philip Zafra, chairman of barangay Tisa, said.
The delinquents were told to execute a promissory note to pay their dues within 20 days from the execution of their promissory note, he added.
Rama’s camp will have Zafra as their standard bearer while Manuel Guanzon of barangay Capitol Site will lead the Osmeña boys in the battle for control of the Association of Barangay Councils.
Guanzon however, refuses to have themselves labelled as candidates of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK).
“We don’t want to call our group as BO-PK because some of us are non-partisan,” Guanzon told CDN.  “You can call us Guanzon group or Team Guanzon.”
Cebu City has 80 barangays. Candidates who get the majority of votes cast win the position contested.
Whoever wins the presidency of the ABC will sit as an ex-officio member of the City Council. As primus inter pares among barangay captains, the ABC president will enjoy the perks and privileges of a city councilor.
Mayor Rama earlier claimed that following last October’s barangay elections, his camp already enjoys majority support of the barangay captains.
If Zafra wins the ABC presidency, he will be the fifth Rama ally in the BO-PK dominated City Council.
At present, Rama can only count on Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and Councilors  Mary Ann Delos Santos, Hanz Abella, Dave Tumulak and James Cuenco as his allies.
Prior to that, Rama only had Councilors Labella, Joey Daluz and Edu Rama by his side. As his third and last term as councilor ended, Labella was drafted to become Rama’s runningmate in the May elections and went on to beat reelectionist vice mayor Joy Augustus Young.
Daluz is now one of the mayor’s close aides at City Hall. /Jose Santino S. Bunachita, Correspondent with inputs from Chief of Reporters Doris Bongcac