Mayor Rama wants formal announcement from party

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants an official communication from the Liberal Party on who would be the party’s standard-bearer in Cebu City during the election next year.

Rama said he wants formality even as Rep. Tomas Osmeña already announced it will be the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan leader who will get the nomination and not Rama.

Osmeña announced Wednesday he will get his nomination supposedly yesterday.

But in a text message, Osmeña said he did not get it yesterday but he is confident it will arrive soon.

“It’s just red tape. No big deal,” Osmeña said.

Rama said in his news conference yesterday that even if Osmeña got the authority to issue a certificate of nomination for LP candidates in Cebu City, it does not automatically mean Osmeña will be LP’s standard bearer.

“Dili na automatic. It will undergo a process,” Rama said.

Osmeña gets the authority to issue nomination to BOPK candidates in the lower position but for mayor and district representatives, the nomination shall come from the LP National Headquarters.

He said he will write LP President Manuel Roxas to seek explanation and clarification on the process of receiving a nomination considering that the filing of candidacy is barely two weeks from now.

Rama said he does not believe that LP will just set him aside considering that he is an incumbent mayor and a sworn member of the party.

Only Rama sworn in as member of LP while the rest of BOPK, which he used to be a part of, maintained their independence from the national party.

Rama said that since he took oath as a member of LP, he has been religiously paying membership dues.

The mayor reserved his comments on Osmeña’s announcement until he gets a formal communication from LP.

Rama also did not answer questions on a possible coalition with the United Nationalist Alliance of Vice President Jejomar Binay and repeatedly expressed his loyalty to LP.

“Di mahimo na mamangka mi sa dalawang ilog,” Rama said.

Rama was in Manila last Wednesday to supposedly follow up on the Bus Rapid Transit Project.

But he said he failed to meet with Roxas and new Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya. — /MBG (FREEMAN)