Tom, Mike, Annabelle share plane ride

Coincidence or not, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and his cousin, talent manager Annabelle Rama, shared a flight with political rival and former Cebu City congressman Tomas Osmeña from Manila to Cebu yesterday morning.

“Hi!” was all that Osmeña could say when he saw the two Ramas seated at the economy section of a Philippine Airlines flight to Cebu. Mayor Rama said he smiled back at his former ally.

“Casual lang mi. Wala gyud koy problema ana (It was casual between us. I don’t have a problem with that),” Rama recalled on meeting his rival in the May 13 elections.

An obviously happy Annabelle posted the chance encounter and her visit to the Basilica del Sto. Niño with Mayor Rama on her Twitter account.

“I prayed and thanked the Sto. Niño that I am okay with Mayor Mike. All’s well that ends well. Daghang salamat (Thanks a lot to the) Sto. Niño,” Annabelle’s tweet read.

“Ngayon lang uli kami nagkwentuhan ni Mayor Mike after the elections. Pagdating sa Cebu dumeretso kami ni Mike sa Sto. Niño church (It was only now that I talked with Mayor Mike after the elections. On arriving in Cebu, Mike and I headed straight to the Sto. Niño church),” her tweet stated.

Mayor Rama left for Manila last Thursday afternoon to attend to several concerns.

Personal concerns

He was supposed to return to Cebu late Friday night but he didn’t make it. He instead re-booked for a 9 a.m. return flight yesterday.

He said he already saw Osmeña at the airport and greeted him but the former mayor may not have noticed him as he was talking with someone.

Rama said he had a massage while waiting for his flight to Cebu.

The mayor said he saw Annabelle when he left the airport’s massage area and started walking towards the VIP lounge.

He said Osmeña, who was alone during his travel, boarded the plane ahead of them.

Osmeña, founder of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), said “Hi!” when he saw Mayor Rama and Annabelle board the plane. Osmeña said he came from Singapore and dropped by Manila to attend to personal concerns.

Timing

Annabelle posted on her Twitter account that Osmeña was seated on her left side during the flight while Rama was on her right side.

“What a coincidence. Magkatabi pa kami sa first row ng plane, tinginan tuloy ang mga tao (We were seated in the first row of the plane. A lot of people looked at us),” said Annabelle’s tweet.

Rama said he talked to Annabelle during the nearly one-hour flight while Osmeña kept silent.

“Timing lang gyud to tanan (It was just timing),” a laughing Rama said.

From the airport, Rama said he gave Annabelle a lift to the Basilica del Sto. Niño where they lighted candles. Asked if he has already settled his conflict with his cousin, Rama said, “it’s a family thing.”

Annabelle had issued a press statement shortly after the elections to demand the return of the P3 million donation which her children – Ruffa, Richard and Raymond – contributed to Mayor Rama.

P3-M donation

Basak San Nicolas barangay captain George Rama, Annabelle’s brother, said in an earlier interview that the P3 million donation was already returned to Annabelle but he did not elaborate.

Mayor Rama said Annabelle had been visiting Cebu City several times since after the elections. “All’s well that ends well,” Mayor Rama said.