Mayor to still put up statues amid criticisms

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama will go on with his plan to put up a statue of former senator Sergio “Serging” Osmeña in front of the City Hall despite criticisms from south district Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña.

“Nganong magbuot man siya?” the mayor reacted when asked about Osmeña’s statement saying Rama should set aside the plan.

Osmeña, Serging’s son, said Rama is just doing this so that no one would oppose the putting up of a statue of his grandfather, Vicente Rama, who authored the Cebu City Charter in 1937.

“It puts a veil over his ego tripping. No one else would do it. There certainly was no public clamor for this publicity stunt. What Vicente Rama did in sponsoring the City’s Charter is noteworthy, but not a great feat, as if Cebu City would not be a city without him,” Osmeña said.

Don Vicente authored the Cebu City Charter while Serging was the first elected city mayor in 1955.

The mayor said he will try to look for some other ways if the City Council, which is dominated by councilors allied with Osmeña, will not give him the authority to enter into an agreement with a private insurance company for the free installation of the statues.

When Rama  tapped the services of private contractors to build the Senior Citizens Park across the City Hall’s executive building, it was done without the city legislators’ concurrence. —/MBG (FREEMAN)