Now that his boss has returned, Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama is back in his usual position as presiding officer at the City Council. Rama has been the city's second most powerful man for the past eight years, a title that carries the role of pounding the gavel every Wednesday.
During the past couple of months, he assumed the position as acting mayor on account of Mayor Tomas Osmeña's absence to seek medical treatment abroad. While assuming the City Hall's highest position, Rama finally had the privilege of calling the shots on the city's affairs.
It's no secret that Rama is running for mayor in the next elections. Legally, he can't seek reelection because he is already in his third and final term.
So he has no other recourse in his next political move except to take a shot at the mayoralty seat in 2010. He already received the blessings from Osmeña, who had been grooming him to be the city's next chief executive.
However, there is a serious problem which can derail his political train.
This problem stemmed from a manifesto circulated by the city's barangay captains endorsing north district Representative Raul del Mar and Osmeña for mayor and vice mayor respectively.
In their manifesto, the barangay captains expressed dissatisfaction with Rama, saying they just don't like his style of management. They instead wanted Del Mar, now in his last term in Congress, or Osmeña's wife Margot to run for mayor in the next elections.
Rama must come to think that he cannot win in his hid for mayor without the support from the barangay captains. So to gain the votes from the grassroots, the best political move for him now is to court the barangay chieftains into supporting his mayoralty ambition.
The vice mayor should take the success of his boss as an example. Osmeña won for three consecutive terms because he secured the support of majority of the city's barangay captains.
Having Osmeña's blessings does not mean Rama has already the mayoralty seat in his bag. He should make peace with those barangay elders.