Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday denied allegations that he was recounting past favors to barangay officials allied with the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) in a gathering he hosted the other night at the Grand Convention Center.
“I was inviting them personally. It has nothing to do with city hall. And no, di ko kamao mobuyboy, (I don’t expect them to return the favor.) ” Rama said in a press conference at his office yesterday.
Rama said he was surprised upon learning that barangay officials present during the said activity took it negatively when he told them that the food they were eating was from his personal funds.
Rama also denied misleading them into believing that the gathering was for the preparation of the annual investment plan (AIP) instead of a personal invitation.
“Wa tingali na-misled. Ang invitation way labot ang city hall ako ning kaugalingon, giapil lang nako ang akong partner, si (Councilor) Edgar (Labella). Wa jud ko giingun nga for AIP to,(Maybe not misled. City hall had nothing to do with the invitation. This is my own event and I just included my partner. I never said it was for the AIP.)” he explained.
Around 50 officials from barangays Carreta, Sto Niño, Tejero, Guba and Talamban attended last Wednesday’s gathering.
One of these officials, who refused to be named, said they got a call from the city hall’s Barangay Affairs Office telling them that the meeting was for the AIP, hence they brought with them documents with the hope of also presenting their proposals for the preparation of next year’s annual budget.
“Diha na nahibong nga lain naman jud ni dihang nisud na si Rama, (We started suspecting that the activity was for something else when Rama arrived.)” the barangay official said.
Prior to Rama’s arrival, Labella first went onstage to talk about the Rallos case but reportedly did not touch the supposed main agenda which was the AIP.
Rama later arrived and the source said some of the barangay captains, who reportedly sensed that something else was going on, stood up to leave. All five barangay captains, except for Carreta’s Eduardo Lauron were present.
“Gi-misled ra mi kay last month pa man diay na-approve ang AIP! (We were misled because we found out that the AIP have been approved last month yet.) ” said the source.
Rama reportedly told those who remained that BOPK humiliated him in a recent basketball tournament in barangay Guadalupe where former Mayor and Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas Osmeña and some councilors were present. — Liv G. Campo/MIT(FREEMANNEWS)