Cuenco: PDP to "adopt" Rama

CEBU, Philippines - Former Cebu City south district Representative Antonio “Tony” Cuenco assured Team Rama supporters that rejoining the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) will even strengthen their team.

Cuenco said that Rama will be adopted by the party since it has no mayoral candidate in Cebu City.

Cuenco and Councilor Jose Daluz III are going to take oath as members and officers of PDP-Laban in the Region. The former congressman will take oath as the regional chairman while Daluz, Cuenco said, will take charge of the recruitment.

“There is no such thing as conflict. We will adopt him (Mayor Michael Rama) as our mayoral candidate,” Cuenco said.

This means that Rama will run with the support of two national political parties granting he will remain the mayoral candidate of the Liberal Party here. Rama said earlier that he will remain with the Liberal Party to which he swore loyalty for.

For Rama, being a guest candidate of another national party is possible in the local level.

Cuenco said that his regional chairmanship is okay with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia who also just joined the party and was announced as one of its senatorial candidates.

Cuenco and other new members will take oath within the month, he said.

Meanwhile, the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan has started bringing to the public their complete slate for the north district. In a tarpaulin, BOPK announced that their candidates for councilors in the north district are incumbents Sisinio Andales, Alvin Arcilla, Ma. Nida Cabrera, Alvin Dizon, Noel Wenceslao and Lea Japson with two new members: Association of Barangay Councils President Michael Ralota and Kasambagan Captain Franklyn Ong.

In the south district though, no streamer of their final slate has been spotted but the names that BOPK insiders floated are incumbent councilors Roberto Cabarrubias, Margarita Osmeña and Richard Osmeña with Augustus Pe, Jr. who transferred from the north district, former Sangguniang Kabataan president Rengel Pelayo, former councilors Gabriel Leyson and Gerardo Carillo, Zenaida Amores and Eugenio Gabuya.

Rama said that Team Rama will not announce just yet their final candidates, but mentioned names that are considered for the slots.

Team Rama’s candidates for the south district will be among Basak Pardo Captain Dave Tumulak, Poblacion Pardo councilor Althea Lim, Inayawan councilor Lotlot Ignacio-Soon, James Cuenco, lawyer Hans Abella, city consultant and businessman Ronald Diola, radio personality Tisha Ylaya, former councilor Coping Fernandez and Andrew Borres.

Candidates for councilor in the north district are Busay Captain Eleodoro Sanchez, former councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, Lahug barangay councilor and former captain Mary Ann delos Santos, Agsungot Captain Pastor Alcover, former councilor Edwin Jagmoc, Felicissimo Rupinta, Jerry Guardo and Carla Fernandez.

Meanwhile, Rama admitted that not all city councilors were invited during the 114th Grand Independence Ball at the Waterfront Hotel Tuesday night. Rama explained it was more of a private and public partnership affair where the invited guests were mostly the 75 families of distinction and families who are nominated but did not make it to the top 75 families. The event was funded through Private-Public-Partnership.

Rama said that only a few councilors showed up during the morning program while he was expecting all of them to come. Rama admitted that since he bolted BOPK, they are rarely attending events together. – (FREEMAN)